WATERING MUSHROOM BEDS. 41 



CHAPTER X. 



WATERING MUSHROOM BEDS. 



Many amateurs, and also professional gardeners, take every 

 pains in the preparation of the manure and formation of 

 beds only to spoil everything by being over-zealous with the 

 syringe or watering-pot. Moisture should always accompany 

 fire heat when applied to mushrooms, but it ought to be in 

 the atmosphere, syringing the beds heavily every day soon 

 causing them to become very wet, and cold and saturation 

 is quickly fatal to mushroom spawn. Too much water is 

 also responsible for the failure of innumerable small mush- 

 rooms to attain a serviceable size. They may grow to near 

 the size of small marbles only to disappoint by turning soft 

 and brown. 



Outdoor Beds. — When once a bed becomes very wet 

 and cold it is not likely to be ever productive, and we 

 would therefore .strongly advise readers to ward off heavy 

 rains from open-air beds by means of a heavy covering of 

 dry strawy litter, a tarpaulin, or waterproof covering of 

 some kind, or even thick carpet and stout canvas, being 

 fastened securely over this during very rainy times. Accord- 

 ing to our experience open-air beds rarely need watering, 

 especially after September. If, however, they are found in 

 a dry state after being spawned from five to six weeks, few 

 or no mushrooms showing at that time, then remove nearly 

 all of the straw covering, and give a gentle yet thorough 

 watering, using tepid water and a pot with a moderately 

 fine rose on it. One watering may not prove sufficient to 

 moisten both the soil and manure well, and in this case the 

 dose should be repeated next day. Prior to re-covering the 

 bed heavily with dry strawy litter, remove that which was 

 left on the surface when the watering was done, and substi- 

 tute drv soft litter. We advise leaving this thin covering 



