Groicing Mushrooms. 237 



inches of good stiff holding loam ; beat it as firmly as possible 

 down on the bed. Let the bed remain quiet another week ; then 

 well beat it with the back of a spade again, and cover it over 

 lightly with hay, litter, and straw mixed together ; for, if you 

 cover it with hay alone, it is very apt to quickly draw all the 

 spawn out into it and ruin your bed. Take care to give the 

 spawn plenty of time to work itself regularly all through the 

 bed before covering the bed to any extent, or you will certainly 

 be disappointed, and only get very few mushrooms, and those 

 of a bad quality. I have had beds made on the above prin- 

 ciple that have produced mushrooms of the first quality in great 

 abundance for four, five, or six months, picking them constantly 

 two or three times a week. 



When the bed has been covered about 20 or 25 days, un- 

 cover it, and brush it all over, to take the short rubbish out ; 

 shake the litter well, and take all the rubbish clean out. 

 Examine the bed, and, if you find it dry, get a stake or broom- 

 handle and make a row of good-sized holes, all up the centre of 

 the bed ; get some boiling water and pour two or three quarts 

 into each hole, stopping the heat and steam in immediately 

 with a whisk of mulching dung to retain the evaporation ; it 

 will moisten the bed, and cause a nice congenial warmth. I 

 always make it a rule to water the casing of the bed likewise, 

 with boiling water out of a watering pot with a rose on it. 



After the bed has been made about 30 or 35 days, this water- 

 ing causes a fine congenial warmth if covered down immediately, 

 which should be done. I generally repeat it two or three 

 times, allowing three days to intervene between each time, 

 according to the state of the bed. It destroys every slug, wood- 

 louse, or any other kind of insect whatever that is about, and 

 sweetens the bed to such a degree that mushrooms thrust them- 

 selves up through it of a firm good quality all over the bed. 

 But never water a mushroom bed after it is in full bearing, or 

 it will slop bearing, or send them up of a bad quality generally 

 afterwards, and will not continue long. For instance, observe 

 mushrooms when they are growing naturally in parks, pastures, or 

 fields, as soon as the heavy rains come on them they stop bear- 

 ing. Damp the litter occasionally with hot water, to raise a gentle 

 mist ; and if the bed is in a shed sprinkle it all over now and 

 then with boiling water, which destroys every kind of insect, 

 and raises a sweet congenial mist that mushrooms are par- 

 ticularly fond of. 



How I came first of all to discover the good effects of using 

 loam amongst the dung was this. Some years ago, whilst I was 

 working for a market-gardener, I was short of dung to form 

 the mushroom beds with, so as to make them come into bearing 

 at the time wanted. I recollected having accidentally seen a 



3cl Ser. — 1843. V. r 



