76 POPULAR VEGETABLES 



with. The next process after the manure is properly 

 shaken out from the rough straw is to lay it out on 

 the floor of the shed at an even thickness of about 

 seven inches in order to expose it to the air for the 

 purpose of drying, and also to cause a very slow and 

 almost imperceptible fermentation. Every load de- 

 livered must be served in the same way, and the whole 

 turned over with the fork about every three or four 

 days in order to liberate rank gases. After under- 

 going this process for about ten days or a fortnight 

 the manure will be fit to throw together into a large 

 heap to cause further fermentation, thereby reducing 

 the heat of the manure to the temperature of 80 or 

 8z Fahr., when it will be of a safe and proper tem- 

 perature to form into beds in the Mushroom house 

 proper or wherever else it may be proposed to construct 

 the beds. 



Upon the careful preparation and the proper con- 

 dition the manure may be in at the time the beds are 

 made up depends to a larger extent than on any other 

 particulars the success or otherwise of the crops. It 

 is a well-known fact that Mushrooms abound in nitro- 

 gen. It is also well known that nitrogen is found in 

 considerable quantities in the manure of horses, there- 

 fore in subjecting the manure to fermentation there is 

 danger if this process is overdone of the nitrogen escap- 

 ing in the way of ammonia to the great detriment of 

 the manure and the subsequent crops. The chief 

 lesson to be learnt from this is to be careful to prevent 

 at all costs too rapid a fermentation and the consequent 



