CHAPTER VII. 



MANUBE FOE MUSHROOM BEDS. 



In order to grow mushrooms successfully and profitably 

 a supply of fresh horse manure is needed, and this should 

 be the very best that is jnade, either at home or bought 

 from other stables. The questions of manure and spawn 

 are the most important that we have to deal with. 

 Very few make their own spawn, as it is bought and ac- 

 cepted upon its good looks, — often rather deceptive, — but 

 the manure business is entirely in our own hands, and 

 success with it depends absolutely upon ourselves. We 

 can not reasonably expect good results from poor manure 

 nor from ill-prepared manure. It is only from the very 

 best of horse manure prepared in the very best fashion 

 that we can hope for the very best crops of the best 

 mushrooms. 



Horse Manure. — There are various kinds of horse 

 manure, differing materially in their worth for mush- 

 room beds. The kind of manure depends upon the con- 

 dition of the horses, how they are housed, fed, and 

 bedded, and how the manure is taken care of. But 

 while the manure of all healthy animals is useful for our 

 purpose, there still is a great choice in horse manure. 

 If we are dependent upon our home supply we may use 

 and make the best of what we have, but if we have to 

 buy the manure we should be very particular to select 

 the best kind of manure and accept of no other. 



The very best manure is that from strong, healthy, 

 hard-worked, well-kept animals that are liberally fed 

 with hard food, as timothy hay and grain, and bedded 

 with straw. And if tlie bedding be pretty well wetted 



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