556 Culture of the Mushroom at Stoke Place, 



between the dung and the soil, and push up through it ; and, 

 when this happens, they will generally be thin and open. But, 

 if the earth is properly beaten down, the reverse will happen : 

 they will form themselves in large clusters on the surface, no 

 larger than pins' heads, and will very quickly increase in size 

 and solidity; and remain unopen, or buttons (as they are 

 generally termed), till they attain a great size. If the mould is 

 so dry that it cannot be beaten down firm enough (which will 

 sometimes happen in making beds in the summer season), when 

 the beds are earthed, they must be gently watered with a water- 

 ing-pot and rose, and left a few hours to dry a little before they 

 are beaten down t should the earth prove in any way adhesive 

 to the spade, have a pail of water standing by to dip the spade 

 in occasionally, to keep the back clean, so that the earth may 

 be firm and smooth- Beds thus earthed will, when finished, 

 have more the appearance of strong clay than loam ; and one 

 would suppose it almost impossible for any thing to grow upon 

 them. However, from experience, I have learned that beds so 

 prepared will not disappoint the most sanguine expectations. 

 Some may think it is not necessary to make the beds so deep, 

 and the covering of earth so thick ; and some may think it a 

 bad plan to earth the beds immediately after spawning t but, in 

 my opinion, these three things are eminently useful ; and, with- 

 out them, a lasting and productive crop cannot be expected. 

 Where beds are thinly and loosely earthed, they will sometimes 

 bring mushrooms very quickly, especially when they have been 

 spawned some time before earthing ; but the crops will be both 

 weakly and unproductive, and, instead of coming up in strong- 

 clusters, the mushrooms will be thinly studded over the bed. 

 The reason of this, in my opinion, is, that, in such beds, there 

 is not a sufficient body of dung and mould to nourish a crop of 

 mushrooms for any length of time; and, when the beds are 

 spawned a considerable time before earthing, the spawn has 

 expended much of its strength among the dung. The conse- 

 quence of this is, that, when a quantity of cold wet soil is thrown 

 on the beds when the spawn is in this working state, it chills 

 and often destroys the crop ; while, on the other hand, by earth- 

 ing the beds as soon as they are spawned, the spawn can receive 

 no check whatever from that process, and it begins directly to 

 work. When the spawn spreads in the dung downwards, it 

 immediately enters the earth upwards, and impregnates the 

 whole mass. Mushroom beds, made after the manner I have 

 recommended and described, will always be a fortnight or three 

 weeks longer in coming into bearing than beds made in the 

 common way; but, when they do come, they will amply repay 

 the loss of time : they will generally continue in full bearing two 

 or three months, and will produce a pretty good crop for five or 

 six months. Mushroom beds ought to be kept very moderately 



