38 



of the ground, and dirt is piled up on either side to the level of the 

 plates which support the roof. These types of houses have usually 

 been built of wood, and the roof is covered with hay or marsh grass. 

 The beds are either built on the ground or slightly raised. In the latter 

 case they are provided with board sides, thus leaving room for a path, 

 as shown in fig. 4. Some improvement has been made in recent years 

 in the style of houses for mushroom culture. One of the i^rincipal 

 objections to houses such as shown in figs. 4 and 5 is that they are very 

 likely to I'ot out quickly, and it is expensive to renew them An ex- 

 perienced mushroom grower informed me that such a house would only 

 last about three years. On account of the dampness arising from the 

 heat of the manure and the unfavorable situation of material constructed 



Fig. 7. — Section of a cellar bed covered with boards and matting and banked up with earth. 



of wood, rotting occurs very quickly. The conditions in a mushroom 

 house are exceedingly favoi-able for timber-destroying fnngi, thus 

 causing premature decay. The house shown in fig. 6 in a more recent 

 model, used by Wyman Bros., market gardeners, Arlington, Mass. It 

 is an even-span house, fifteen feet wide and about four feet high at the 

 sides. The length of such a house is of course immaterial. The side 

 walls are built of cement, and there is a truss roof constructed out of 

 wood and corrugated iron. The corrugated iron roof and cement sides 

 furnish construction material which will not readily decay ; and, while 

 a house of this description may cost more at tiie outset, it is far cheaper 

 in the end tor a commercial grower who intends to follow that line of 

 work. Cellar benches can be constructed singly or in series, one or 

 more above the ground bed. A single bed is shown in fig. 7. The 

 construction of cellar beds would depend materially upon the space and 

 the conditions available. ' 



