of the straw will determine to some extent the value of the manure. 

 The straw of cereals is far better than that of most other grasses. 

 The more resistant straws seem greatly to improve the texture 

 of the compost for mushroom purposes. Commercially it is a mis- 

 take to attempt to get the manure free from straw. If fresh ma- 

 nure is not obtainable, that which has been trampled by the ani- 

 mals is ordinarily rich, well preserved, and desirable. It ferments 

 best in large piles, and these may be of considerable extent, about 

 3 or 4 feet deep throughout. If not uniformly moist, the material 

 should be sprinkled. At no time is a very heavy watering desirable. 

 In from four days to a week or more the compost should be turned, 

 or forked over, and a second turning will be required a week or 

 ten days later. Water should be added only when necessary to 

 maintain a moist (but no twet) condition. With this amount of 

 moisture, and with the piles deep enough to become fairly compact 

 as a result of their own weight, there will be little danger of any 

 injurious fermentation. During the normal fermentation the tem- 

 perature may rise higher than 150 deg. F. In from fifteen to 

 twenty-one days or more, depending upon the conditions, tem- 

 perature will begin to fall, and the compost may be used in the 

 construction of the beds. When used in the beds, it has ordinarily 

 lost all objectionable odor, and the color of the straw has changed 

 from yellow to brown. 



It has been the experience of some of the most successful growers 

 that the use of shavings for bedding materiaf in the stables does not 

 injure the value of the product for mushroom work. The presence 

 of a large amount of sawdust is, however, objectionable so far as 

 the writer's experience goes. Compost containing much sawdust is 

 necessarily very "short," and therefore the physical condition is 

 not the most favorable for Agaricus campestris. 



In another chapter attention is called to the fact that the value 

 of the manure depends to a considerable extent upon the feed given 

 the animals. It would not be wise to depend upon that obtained 

 from stables' in which hay and green foods are used to too great 

 an extent. Moreover, it is not believed that compost made from 

 the manure of cattle barns in mushroom growing is as desirable as 

 stable manure. 



In some cities the municipal ordinances require that the manure 

 shall be promptly removed from the feeding stables or that it shall 

 be disinfected. In the latter case crude carbolic acid, or even cor- 

 rosive sublimate, may be used to secure this end. Manure thus dis- 

 infected is, of course, undesirable for mushroom work. For the 

 same reason the manure of veterinary hospitals is of questionable 

 value. 



For the most part manure may be composted in the open air. 

 It may, however, be prepared with greater, uniformity under cover. 

 During midsummer, protection may be desirable on account of dry- 

 ing out, while in the winter it is more important in case of excessive 

 cold. If it is necessary to compost manure during the winter, more- 

 over, the piles should be of considerable depth. 



