86 THE FARM. 



by half that width, and inserted into the bed at a distance of ten to t-welve 

 inches each way; on beds twenty to twenty-foiir inches in height, which are 

 mostly in use, it should be inserted in two rows, dove-tail fashion. 



Where the bed is situated in a place under cover and of an even temper- 

 ature, nothing else is to be done but to wait for the growth; if, however, the 

 bed is placed in the open ah* and exposed to change of the weather, it must 

 be covered with long litter or hay to keep a uniform temperature all around 

 the bed.. 



Under favorable circtimstanccs, and if the work has been done well, the 

 spawn ought to show activity in seven or eight days; it is advisable to look 

 to it, and to replace such spawn as might not thrive, which can be seen by 

 the absence of wliite filaments in the surrounding materials. 



Fifteen to twenty days later the spawn oiight to have taken possession of 

 the whole bed and should come to the sui-face; the top and sides of the bed 

 should then be covered with soil, for which a light mold in preference to a 

 heavy one should be used, slightly moistening it, without making it too wet. 

 If it does not naturally contain saltpetre, it would be good to administer a 

 small quantity of salt or saltpetre, or to give it a watering of liquid manure. 



The covering with soil should not exceed more than an inch in depth, 

 and be pressed strongly so as "to adhere firmly; watering should only be 

 done where the soil becomes very dry. "Where a covering has been re- 

 moved for some purpose it must be replaced at once. 



A few weeks after, according to the state of temperature, more or less, 

 the mushrooms will appear. In gathering them care should be taken to fill 

 the empty spaces with the same soil as used for the covering. Leaving the 

 bed to itself, it will produce from two to three months; but its fertiUty may 

 be prolonged by careful waterings at a temperature of 68 degrees to 86 de- 

 grees Fahr., with an admixture of guano or saltpetre. 



By estabhshing under cover three or four beds annually in succession, a 

 continued supply may be reckoned upon; besides, during the summer 

 months, beds may be raised out-of-doors ak very Uttle expense, securing an 

 abundant supply. Frames in which vegetables are forced may in the inter- 

 vals be used for mushroom culture with very good results, providing the 

 temperature be congenial, and that the young mushrooms are slightly pro- 

 tected with soil as soon as they appear. — The American Garden. 



Aaparagiis. — A writer in the 3Inssac?iusetts Ploughman says: I desire to 

 impress upon the attention of our farmers the importauce of using asparagus 

 more largely as a luxury of the table. It is more rarely to be found in coun- 

 try gardens than any other esculent, and when found hard to take note of, 

 as the plat is scarcely bigger than a door mat and furnishes about enough 

 shoots for one square meal. Wlaen an expenditure of two or three doUara 

 will provide a bed which will last twenty or twenty-five years, and annually 

 furnish one of the earliest and most delicious vegetables, it seems almost 

 impossible to account for its being so much neglected by the farming com- 

 munity. It is not only an appetizer and a luxury but a very valuable diure- 

 tic, and especially beneficial to sedentary persons and all who are troubled 

 with symptoms of gravel. Our best growers make a bunch of sixteen stalks 

 weigh four pounds. Almost every one who cultivates' vegetables knows 

 how to make an asparagus bed, but the opinions as to ita after treatment 

 are very discordant. For a private family the bed should not be less than 

 five feet wide and twenty feet long. Dig out the ground two, or better, 

 three feet deep^ and fill up with chips, sawduat or aticks of wood packed 



