26 MUSHROOMS, 



pasture, this being passed through a half-inch sieve with a 

 view to getting rid of lumps. Failing this, use the best loam 

 or fresh soil procurable, ordinary garden soil obtained from 

 just below the top spit frequently answering remarkably well. 

 What will not do is soil that has been previously used for 

 mushroom beds, nor any that is overrun by a fungus of any 

 kind. We have frequently used the soil from old cucumber 

 and melon beds with the best results, fine succulent Mush- 

 rooms in quantity being produced by its aid, whereas those 

 obtained from very poor dry soil are not always so satisfac- 

 tory. The whole of the bed should be covered with soil, 

 beginning at the bottom as a matter of course, to a thick- 

 ness of about Sin. after it is beaten down, a little less suffi- 

 cing in the case of rather strong loams. If in a fairly moist 

 state it will bind together sufficiently when well beaten with 

 the back of a clean spade. There should be no watering 

 and plastering of the soil, as this is inevitably followed by 

 shrinkage and cracking, to the no small injury of the myce- 

 lium. 



Coveringr the Beds — Cover at first with a little of 

 the strawy litter, and directly it is seen there is no likelihood 

 of the beds overheating cover heavily with more of the same, 

 a thickness of from 9in. to 12in. being desirable, disposing 

 it in the form of a thatch, so as to throw off heavy rains. 

 This covering of litter serves to prevent the rapid evapora- 

 tion of the heat and moisture from the beds, and also ex- 

 cludes cold drying winds as well as strong sunshine. If 

 these details are properly carried out nothing in the shape 

 of watering ought to be needed to cause the beds to become 

 productive, from four to six weeks being about the time that 

 will elapse before many mushrooms will be forthcoming. 

 Before much further advice concerning the treatment of these 

 beds in the autumn and winter is needed it will, all being 

 well, be forthcoming in these 'pages. At present we will 

 only add that one or two more successional beds may well be 

 formed and spawned at intervals of a fortnight or three 

 weeks. 



