93 MUSHROOMS, HOW TO GEOW THEM. 



tendency to deteriorate after a time ; new spawn must 

 therefore be obtained as soon as any signs of deteriora- 

 tion begin to manifest themselves." 



Making French Virgin Spawn. — Condensed from 

 Lachaume's book on mushrooms. Take five or six bar- 

 row loads of horse droppings that have lain in a heap for 

 some time, and lost their heat, and mix them with one- 

 fourth of their bulk of short stable litter. Then, in 

 April, open a trench two feet wide, twenty inches deep, 

 and length to suit, at the foot of, but eight inches dis- 

 tant from, a wall facing north. In the bottom of the 

 trench spread a layer three to four inches deep of chopped 

 straw, tlieu an equally thick layer of the prepared ma- 

 nure, all pressed, firmly by treading it down. The two 

 layers must now be gently watered, and then another 

 double layer of chopped straw and droppings must be 

 laid, trodden down and watered, and so on until the top 

 of the trench is reached. The bed ought to rise above 

 the level of the ground and be rounded off like the top 

 of a trunk. To prevent excessive dampness from heavy 

 rain cover the mound with a thick layer of stable litter. 

 Three months after filling the trench it should be opened 

 at the side or end. If the pieces of manure are well cov- 

 ered with masses oi bluish-white filaments, giving off 

 the odor of mushrooms, the operation has succeeded, and 

 the spawn is fit for use or for di-ying to preserve for 

 futui'e use. But if the threads are only sparingly scat- 

 tered through the mass, the trench should be covered up 

 again and left for another month. In saving the spawn 

 the flakes of manure containing the largest amount of 

 spawn filaments should be retained, and those showing 

 a brown appearance rejected. In order to facilitate the 

 drying of the spawn the flakes should be broken into 

 pieces, weighing from one to two pounds ; they are tiien 

 placed in a well ventilated shed, but they must not be 

 piled upon each other. Properly prepared and dried 

 this spawn keeps good for ten years. 



