94 MUSHROOMS, HOW TO GROW THEM, 



a layer of fine, dry soil three or four inches thick. The 

 spawn ought to be very dry, otherwise we shall get a 

 premature crop of mushrooms instead of fresh spawn. 

 At the end of six weeks or a couple of months the new 

 spawn ought to make its appearance, a fact which we 

 may learn by opening the bed. One sign, which will 

 save us the trouble of opening up the beds, is the appear- 

 ance of young mushrooms on the surface. The layer of 

 earth is first removed, and then the cakes of spawn are 

 treated as described in the directions given for the first 

 method of making spawn." 



Third Method (by Lachaume). "By filling in a 

 trench like that described in the first method, by a series 

 of layers of one-third of pigeon or fowl guano, and two- 

 thirds of short manure, containing a large proportion of 

 spent horse droppings, treading it down firmly, watering 

 it if it is too dry, and finishing up with a layer of soil, 

 as described already, we may, at the end of a couple of 

 months, or even a little longer, procure a supply of well- 

 formed cakes of spawn of excellent quality, which may 

 be used in the ordinary manner." 



Prom Mr. Robinson's "Mushroom Culture." "This 

 (French) spawn is obtained by preparing a little bed, as 

 if for mushrooms, in the ordinary way, and spawning it 

 with morsels of virgin spawn, if that is obtainable ; and 

 then when the spawn has spread through it, the bed is 

 broken up and used for spawning beds in the caves, or 

 dried and presei-ved for sale." 



From Mr. Wright's book on mushrooms. "French 

 spawn . . is contained in flakes of manure. Neither 

 is it virgin spawn, nor derived immediately from it, 

 . . . but is spawn taken from one bed for impreg- 

 nating another." 



Relative Merits of Flake and Brick Spawn 



The flake or French spawn costs about three times as 

 much as the hrick or English spawn, and, as it is so 



