GROWING MUSHROOMS IN RIDGES. 139 



Brick spawn is always used. Some of those who 

 make a specialty of mushrooms also make spawn for 

 sale as well as for their own use ; but the majority of 

 the gardeners prefer to buy rather than make their own 

 spawn. 



When the heat has fallen to between 80° and 90° the 

 ridges are spawned, the pieces inserted in three rows 

 along each side, leaving about nine inches between the 

 pieces. A dibber should not be used on any account. 

 The spawn is put in tightly with the hand and the ma- 

 nure pressed down. It should be put in level with the 

 face of the bed, so that the mold may just touch it when 

 the bed is cased. In the event of cold or wet weather, 

 just as soon as the beds are spawned a slight covering of 

 rank litter is laid over them. After a few days this is 

 removed and the beds are molded over with mold from 

 ground to which manure has not been applied for some 

 time. But the general market gardeners do not make 

 this distinction ; they use the earth from between the 

 ridges, wliich has been manured regularly every year for 

 a couple of hundred years or more. The mold is put 

 on evenly with the spade and is about two inches thick 

 at the base of the ridge and one inch thick at top, and 

 well firmed by beating with the back of the spade ; 

 indeed, the ridges are now commonly watered through 

 a water-pot rose, again beaten very firmly and the sur- 

 face left smooth and even. This smooth surface readily 

 sheds rain water, but I question if it has any advantage 

 over a well-firmed unglazed surface. After molding the 

 beds are covered with litter, that is, the rankest straw 

 that had been shaken out of the manure, to a depth of 

 four, six, eight, or ten inches, according to the state of 

 the bed and weather; if the bed is inclined to be cool 

 or if the weather is cold, thicken the covering. 



Drenching or long drizzling rains are more injurious 

 to the beds than is cold, and in order to ward them off 



