No. 144.] 469 



President Pell mentioned the experiments tried by him with 

 ma rlied success on a tomato plant growing in a pot through a 

 hole in a copper top plate connected by wire with a zinc plate at 

 the bottom of the pot. A cypress vine so treated showed clearly 

 the superior growth. 



Mr. Meigs said that it was so perfectly easy to try the experi- 

 ment that Mr. Pell's statement must be sustained until evidence 

 of failure is given by others. 



Professor Mapes did not question the superior growth, but he 

 supposed the cover of the pot produced the same effect as a 

 mulch of almost any kind always does- 



MUSHROOMS. 

 Professor Mapes called the attention of the club to the culti- 

 vation of mushrooms by Mr. Galbraith. 



The mushroom may be successfully cultivated in a dry cellar, 

 provided the temperature range from 50^ to 55^, or thereabout. 

 The mode of culture I have practised is simple, and sure to pro- 

 duce abundant supply. Let the groom or coachman collect the 

 horse droppings in the stable, and let them be deposited every 

 morning under a dry shed, open in front facing the sun, to be 

 thoroughly dried. Hang an old tishing net over the pile collected, 

 to keep off chickens or other animals that might break the drop- 

 pings to pieces, as they should be dried as entire as possible. The 

 material collected in the shed should be turned over every day 

 to prevent fermentation taking place. Construct a frame of 

 boards, say thirty feet by four feet, two feet high at the back and 

 eighteen inches in front, or smaller in the same proportions, if 

 thought best. When there is enough dry material coll'ected to 

 cover the bottom of the frame two or three inches thick, put it 

 in and tramp it all over with your feet to make it solid. Repeat 

 the same process as you collect material, until the bed is com- 

 plete. Lay four inches of light vegetable mould on the top, la 

 the course of four or live weeks there will appear on the mould 

 something like white threads running all through the mass. 

 When this takes place water \he bed moderately, and cover it 

 with dry grass cut from the lawn, as it contains but t'tw seeds to 



