196 THE VEGETABLE CULTIVATOR. 



which latter are recommended in preference to 

 filling the entire shelves. The boxes for the pur- 

 pose should be made of half-inch yellow deal, three 

 feet in height. The depth should be fourteen 

 inches, and the breadth according to the space for 

 the shelves. In the bottom of each box there should 

 be three or four holes, about half an inch in diameter, 

 which will be found useful (though some think other- 

 wise) for two purposes ; first, they will admit heat, 

 and secondly, they let out any superfluous moisture 

 which may happen to accumulate during the winter, 

 and which is so baneful to the mushroom in that 

 season. In summer it is not so much to be feared, 

 as light and frequent waterings will be necessary. 

 The compost dung for filling the boxes should be 

 the same as advised for making a mushroom bed 

 (the more horse droppings the better). When it is 

 found to have properly fermented, and to be in a 

 sweet state (the gardeners' phrase), the boxes are 

 to be filled in the following manner : first, lay 

 over the bottom box an inch or so of what may 

 be called flaky dung ; if given to spawn, so much 

 the better ; and over that five or six inches of the 

 prepared dung before noticed, which is also firmly 

 to be beaten down; over that lay about a dozen 

 small bits of spawn, on which two or three inches 

 more of the prepared dung is to be laid, and 

 beaten down as before, which will make it solid 

 and firm in the boxes of nine or ten inches. It 

 may lie in that state for about a week, for the heat 

 to rise regularly throughout the mass. In the interior 

 it should be examined ; and, if it be found very 

 warm, ten or a dozen holes may be made nearly 



