372 FORCING GARDEN. 
planted into a good aspect, and trained against a wall or 
trellis, The tender tops of any of the edible Cucurbitacez, 
boiled as greens or spinach, form a delicate vegetable. 
Melons and cucumbers, though requiring for their cultiva- 
tion in the English climate the protection of glass and 
walls, together with the highest degree of horticultural 
skill, to bring to a maturity, at which they are very in- 
ferior in flavor, ripen in the open air and attain great per- 
fection under the burning midsummer sun of the United 
States, especially the middle and southern portions. In- 
formation relative to the various kinds and best modes of 
culture will be found among the subjects included in the 
Kitchen Garden. 
The Musuroom (Agaricus campestris), though not pro- 
perly an inmate of the melonry, may appropriately enough, 
from the nature of its culture, be taken along with the 
plants grown in this department. It is a well-known fun- 
gus, a general favorite, and esteemed a delicacy during 
winter and the spring months. 
Mushrooms used to be grown in ridges or prepared beds, 
in sheds, or covered with litter in the open air. Of late 
years, the Russian form of the mushroom-house has been 
introduced into Britain by Mr. Isaac Oldacre, and is now 
in very general use. Its arrangement may be seen by in- 
specting the back part of the vinery, a section of which is 
given at page 336. Two tiers of boxes, three in each tier, 
and supported by a strong framework, are constructed 
round the whole house, with the exception of the spaces 
occupied by a door and two windows. The boxes may be 
from two feet and a half to three feet and a half broad, and 
about a foot deep. The house is supposed to be heated by - 
hot-water circulation. In the centre d is a narrow pit, by 
which the house may be worked by means of fermenting 
