1078 



Gardening for Amateurs 



quently transplanted 5 inches apart in a cold 

 frame, and later on are put out of doors on 

 a warm border ; they will be fit to cut almost 

 as soon as the autumn-sown plants. At the 

 end of March sow both the Cos and Cabbage 

 varieties out of doors in warm positions, and 

 fortnightly afterwards to the end of June, 

 when the last sowing is made for summer 

 crops. Sowing for winter and spring supply 

 starts in August. 



Plants fit for cutting late in October should 

 be taken up with soil about their roots and 

 planted rather close together in glass frames 

 or pits for preservation through the winter. 

 With careful watering and ventilation, and 

 picking off decayed leaves, they w r ill give a 

 supply until after Christmas ; those sown 

 later, if treated in the same way, will con- 

 tinue the supply. 



Blanching. Most of the Cabbage varie- 

 ties are so close and leafy that they blanch 

 themselves, but it is necessarv to tie up the 

 leaves of some of the largest summer varieties 

 to exclude the light. If Cos lettuces are 

 allowed to grow to their full size before being 

 cut, most of them are self-blanching, but 

 they run to seed if left too long, and are 

 then useless. It is better to start tying the 

 outside leaves in good time. 



Good varieties for summer sowing are 

 Peerless Cos, Paris White Cos and Hick's 

 Hardy Cos. Of Cabbage varieties Stan- 

 stead Park, Button's Ideal and All the 

 Year Round are the best. 



Mushroom. It was formerly thought 

 that Mushrooms could not be successfully 

 grown excepting in houses specially con- 

 structed for them, but they are now com- 

 monly grown in open fields, while disused 

 cellars, outhouses, or any sort of place 

 with a roof may be utilised. Summer 

 crops thrive best in a cool and shady 

 position. 



Making the Mushroom Bed. The material 

 used is horse manure. Stsawy litter and 

 manure is collected the long straw shaken 

 out and put on one side for covering the 

 beds later on and thrown up in a heap to 

 ferment, which it will do in the course of eight 

 or ten days. It is then opened out, and 

 when cool is again heaped up. This process 

 is repeated, and the manure will then be 

 ready for use. Whilst the manure is being 



prepared it must be kept nicely moist, neither 

 wet nor dry. If manure is scarce, 1 part in 4 

 of loamy soil may be mixed with it. If the 

 bed is out of doors, select a sheltered posi- 

 tion, as less covering will be necessary in cold 

 weather. The beds are made in the shape 

 of a ridge, 2J feet wide and about the same 

 length ; each layer of manure is trodden 

 very firmly as the bed is made up. The next 

 thing to do is to bury a thermomenter some- 

 where in the manure 6 inches deep. Look 

 at it in a w r eek's time ; it will probably 

 register about 80 Fahr. As soon as it 

 falls below 80 the bed may be spawned. 



Spawning the Beds. It is always wise to 

 purchase good spawn from a reliable seed 

 merchant, so that you can depend 011 get- 

 ting it fresh ; if old, it is useless. The 

 '' bricks " of spawn are broken into pieces 

 about the size of a small egg and inserted 

 in holes made with a trowel 8 or 9 inches 

 apart all over the beds ; just cover the spawn 

 with manure and make firm. At the expira- 

 tion of a week, inspect the beds closely, 

 and it will be found, if all is going well, that 

 the spawn has begun to spread, as indicated 

 by the presence of a white mould or mycelium. 

 The time has now come to cover the bed 

 with soil. Start by making a good founda- 

 tion at the foot of the bed and cover the whole 

 surface with 1 inch of soil, which, by hard 

 beating with a spade, will be reduced to 

 inch. By dipping the spade in water as 

 the work proceeds, and using it to make the 

 soil smooth, the bed is effectually sealed. A 

 thermometer should be placed 011 the bed, 

 which is then covered 2 or 3 inches deep with 

 the long straw saved from the manure. If 

 the weather is cold more straw may be 

 needed to maintain the required tempera- 

 ture of from 54 to 57. The bed is un- 

 covered in about five weeks' time, and a 

 few Mushrooms will probably be seen. 

 If mould should be noticed on the sur- 

 face, this should be brushed away and the 

 bed re-covered with some fresh straw mixed 

 with the old. Uncover carefully once a week, 

 or oftener if necessary, to collect the Mush- 

 rooms. The stalks of the Mushrooms ought 

 not to be cut ; the proper way is to give 

 the Mushroom a slight twist, then its roots 

 will come up with the stalk. 



The best time for making up beds out of 



