MANURE FOE MUSHROOM BEDS. 67 



has been used for bedding for the horses. It is a good 

 jibsorbeut and retains considerable of the stable wettings. 

 Such manure ferments well, makes up nicely into beds, 

 the mycelium runs well in it, and good muslirooms are 

 produced from it. But if I could get any other fairly 

 good manure I wouldn't use it. I remember seeing it at 

 Mr. Henshaw's place some years ago. He had bought a 

 quantity of fresh stable manure from the Bi'ighton coal 

 yards, where sawdust had been used for bedding for the 

 horses, and this he used for his mushroom beds. I went 

 back again in a few months to see the bed in bearing, 

 but it was not a success. At the same time, some 

 European growers record great success with sawdust 

 stable manure, George Bolas, Hopton, Wirkeworth, 

 England, sent specimens of mushrooms that he grew on 

 sawdust manure beds to the editor of the Garden, who 

 pronounced them "in every way excellent." Mr. Bolas 

 says : "In making up the bed I mixed about one-third 

 of burnt earth with -the sawdust, sand, and dropping?. 

 The mushrooms were longer in coming up than usual, 

 the bed being in a close shed, without any heat 

 whatever. They have, however, far exceeded my 

 expectations." 



Bichard Gilbert, of Bnrghley, also wrote to the Garden, 

 April 25, 1885: "There is nothing new in growing 

 mushrooms in sawdu.st. I have done it here for years 

 past ; that is to say, after it had done service as a bed 

 for horses, and got intermixed with their droppings. I 

 have never been able to detect the least difference in size 

 or quality between mushrooms grown in sawdust and 

 those produced in the ordinary way." 



Tree Leaves. — Forest tree leaves are often used for 

 mushroom beds, sometimes alone, instead of manure, but 

 more frequently mixed with horse manure to increase 

 the bulk of the fermenting material. Oak tree leaves 

 are the best ; quick-rotting leaves, like those of the 



