Culture of the Mushroom. 



335 



size of a hen's egg in each, and fill the holes up level with 

 the surface, with the loam and droppings. The holes being 

 closed, the heat will increase, and must be attended to : if 

 violent, a few deep narrow holes may be made to let it escape ; 

 and, if too slight, it may be aided by a covering of dry hay, 

 or a layer of warm dung; and when all danger of violent heat 

 is gone by, and the spawn beginning to run, put on the upper 

 stratum of loam, mixed with a little cut hay or dry horse- 

 droppings to make a tough firm crust, about 1 in. deep. A 

 temperature of 55° to 60°, I consider is best for the atmo- 

 sphere in the house, and about 90° of bottom heat will set 

 the spawn actively to work. The beds must not be allowed to 

 get too dry, a layer of moist hay will prevent this ; and, if 

 too wet, a dry atmosphere can be got by gentle fires and 

 open ventilators, which will aid them a little : but a bed once 

 allowed to get thoroughly wet after spawning is, in my opinion, 

 hopeless ; and such a bed I should certainly remove without 

 loss of time. Mushroom spawn, planted in loam and dung, 

 or in either, and screened from sun and rain in summer, 

 will produce this vegetable in abundance ; and the same ma- 

 terials will produce the same effect, under favourable circum- 

 stances, in winter ; such as being placed in boxes or baskets 

 in a stable or warm cellar. In gathering mushrooms for 

 present use, they may be cut; but, if they are to be kept a few 

 days, they must be got with the stem entire. Half-dried drop- 

 pings of highly fed horses, good spawn, and a gentle moist 

 atmosphere, are the principal things to be attended to in culti- 

 vating the mushroom. 



Fig. 70. represents the ground plan, which shows the size 

 and shape of the beds and alleys, the piers for the arches, the 

 boiler, and the direction of the pipes. 



Fig. 71. is a longitudinal section, showing the kerbs of the 

 beds, and the form of the stalls or arches. 



Fig. 72. is a transverse section, showing the arches under 

 and over the beds, the thoroughfare a in the middle, and the 

 position of the hot-water pipes : b is an open shed and general 

 workshop ; the receptacle for every thing requiring protection, 

 too clumsy to be otherwise housed. A shed of this descrip- 

 tion is an indispensable adjunct to every well ordered garden; 



