50 



VEGETABLE GROWING. 



tare of the surrounding soil. When a bed reaches the 

 temperature of 90 F. the spawn may be put in, but 

 some mushroom growers prefer to wait until 70 F. is 

 reached. If one waits until this temperature has been 

 reached there will be less danger of losing the spawn. 

 The temperature of the bed should not be allowed to 

 fall below 55 F. For those who are not familiar with 

 this work it will be well to have a hole in the bed at 

 intervals of three or four feet to enable one to insert 

 a thermometer for ascertaining the temperature. 



FIG. 1. 



Figure 1 represents a mushroom bed on a bench similar to those used 

 in forcing houses. 



The spawn is usually obtained in bricks. A cubic 

 inch of spawn is enough for about eighty square inches 

 of bed. The bricks are broken into pieces of about a 

 cubic inch, and then placed an inch or so under the 

 surface of the bed ; if the bed is quite warm, the spawn 

 is put nearer the surface ; if quite cool, it may be placed 

 even deeper. Under favorable conditions one will 

 have some mushrooms coming in for use in two months 

 from the time of spawning. 



