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hot-beds in fummer, or in the fides of any horfe-dung heaps, 

 having a little warmth remaining ; fo that the moderate heat 

 of the dung in the bed or heap may fet the fpawn a-nmning, 

 fo aj fometimes to produce a few mullirooms in autumn, 

 and increafe it confiderabiy for future ufe in fpawning pro- 

 per mudiroom-beds : and in the fecond cafe, by a compoll 

 of dung and loamy earth together ; procuring in fpring, 

 or early in fummer, a quantity of fielh horfe-dung, con- 

 filting of plenty of /hort ftufF, and a due proportion of 

 long ; and calling the whole into a heap to ferment a fort- 

 night or a month, that the rank burning vapour may pafs 

 away ; then having fome loamy earth, or other good fubltan- 

 tial mould, or any fpawny foil from old beds, form the dung 

 into a long narrow ridge, mixing fome of the earth occa- 

 Conally towards the outfide ; and in a fortnight or three 

 week?, when the heat becomes quite moderate, covering the 

 whole with dry long litter to defend it from the wet, per- 

 mitting the whole to remain a coniiderable time, when good 

 fpawn will often be produced. The heaps for this ule are 

 beft formed in dry (heds, &c. 



In collefting it from any of thefe places, the lumps of 

 dung and earth in which it appears Ihould be taken up as 

 entire as poflible, put into a bafket, and carried into fome 

 dry fhed, or other place, when the heaps are made out of 

 doors, till wanted, or it may be immediately ufed in making 

 the beds. 



The praftice of introducing this fort of fpawn, in a 

 fuitable manner, into beds properly formed and couitrucled 

 for the reception of it, is the bell and moft convenient me- 

 thod, which has' yet been found, of raifing crops of mu(h- 

 rooms in garden cultivation. The beds for this ufe are, 

 as ha:) been feen, conftantly prepared with new frefh horfe- 

 dung which has undergone the procefs of fermentation, 

 by being thrown into a heap, in order to take off the firll 

 violent coarfe heat, and then formed in the long narrow 

 ridge manner, fomewhat in the rtiape of a roof, for throwing 

 off moillure, and left expofed in that Hate until it becomes 

 in a proper Hate of heat, when the portions of fpawny 

 matter are infcrtcd all over the furface, but only jult within 

 it, the whole moulded over an inch or two in thicknefs, and 

 then covered clofely with dry htter to a proper depth. The 

 parts of the fpawn are confequently planted in a fort of hot- 

 bed, by means of which they rapidly advance in growth, 

 and foon furnifh fupplies of good mulhrooms for ufe. The 

 fpawn, being forced into aftiou in this way, is often not 

 longer than fix or eight weeks in producing plentifully ; the 

 fame bed frequently continuing to afford a fupply for five 

 or fix month?, or longer ; but new beds are to be made every 

 year, and fometimes two or three times in that fpace of 

 time, in order to furnilh a conftant fuccelfion of good mulh- 

 rooms. See Ac.\Ricus, and SpaWxVing Mitjliroom-Beds. 



Where there is plenty of this frefh liable littery dung and 

 the (hort fluff in mixture, mulhrooms are fometimes not 

 only abundantly fupplied, but plenty of fpawn for future 

 beds. 



No proper feed of the mufhroom has hitherto been dif- 

 covered by vvluch crops of it can be raifcd by the gardener, 

 though It is well known that it produces feed like other 

 plants, and is naturally produced in that way, as well as by 

 ipavvn. The extremely minute feeds are faid, in this cafe, 

 to be fituated and contained in the lamiFu or gills, which, 

 when full grown, and the feeds become quite ripe, difcharge 

 and difperfe them upon the furrounding ground, from which 

 they are conveyed by the wind and other means to other 

 dillant fituations, where the foils are fuited to their growth. 

 In thefe they fix therafelves and grow, their roots increafing 

 rapidly fo as to produce proper fpawn. 



SPA 



The fituatioHS in which proper fupplies of good fpawn 

 are to be met with, as well as the formation of it, will in 

 fome meafure be feen from what has been faid. That whick 

 is produced in the horfe-dung methods is, however, con- 

 llantly to be preferred to fuch as is procured from the field, 

 for all the purpofes of cultivation in the garden, as pro- 

 ducing thicker, firmer, more flefliy, and richer flavoured 

 mulhrooms. All old worn-out fpawn (hould, of courfe, be 

 rejetfted, as improper and unfit for being made ufe of in this 

 culture, and the new virgin fpawn, as it is termed, or fuch 

 as has not been in production of mufhroom crops, be em- 

 ployed, as in lome inftances, even the young offspring fpawn 

 of fuch as has been long wrought from bed to bed, will de- 

 generate ; there being not unfrequently a very material dif- 

 ference in the goodnefs of that which is frefh and full of 

 heart, and that which has been long in ufe, the former pro- 

 ducing fine and abundant crops, while the latter only fends 

 up a flafh of fmall trifling heads at firll, of none or very 

 little fubflance, and perhaps no more of any confequence 

 afterwards. 



New littery and plenty of fhort horfe-dung, efpecially 

 when mixed with a httle loamy earth, are the moft remark- 

 ably and abundantly produdlive of good fpawn. When 

 they have lain together for a confiderable length of time, 

 they are mollly in a peculiarly fit Hate for producing it in 

 large quantities. 



Spawn of this fort keeps well when laid up clofe in a dry 

 place, or when put up in hampers or bafl-cets, and covered 

 in a clofe thick manner by dry litter or mats. The drier 

 it is put up and kept within moderate limits the better, as 

 the more it will improve in its produflive properties, and 

 take more freely in the beds wlien planted, retaining its 

 vegetative qualities for many months. 



As this fort of fpawn is of great importance and value 

 in many places, where large quantities of mulhrooms are 

 raifed for fale in the markets, certain perfons in fuch fitua- 

 tions often employ themlelves at particular feafons of the 

 year, but efpecially in the autumn, in going about to 

 different parts and coUefting it, which near large towns 

 mollly pays them well, being of ready fale at a high price, 

 as fix or fevcH fhillings the bufhel, and more in fome 

 cafes. 



When it is to be provided in the vicinity of the metro, 

 polis, it will commonly be met with in the moil ready man- 

 ner at the neat-houfe gardens on the different fide of it, 

 at the different markets in it, where vegetables are expofed 

 for fale, and in the principal nurfery garden grounds. 



It is capable of being packed up and fent to any diftance 

 when necellary. 



Spaw^n, Fijh, in Rural Economy, the oviparous or egg. 

 like granulated fubllance whicli is depofited by female 

 fifhes, in order to its being impregnated by the more liquid 

 feminal matter of the malJs, and be thereby rendered pro- 

 duftive of the young progeny or fry of the particular fort 

 or kind. 



Each fort of fifh has its peculiar habit or economy in the 

 performance and mode of depofiting this material, as may 

 be ieen in the following article. Some forts of fifh are 

 likewife much more produftive of it than others, confe- 

 quently more prolific. This is the cafe with the her. 

 ring and the falmon, the former of which is only a fifh 

 that weighs from five to ten ounces, according to Harmer, 

 but in which the fpawa weighs 480 grains, and has the 

 amazing number of 36,960 eggs, when examined about the 

 month of Oftober : the latter, though a much larger fifh, 

 13 produftive of fpawn in a very high degree, the number 

 of its ova being almofl countlefs. And there are other 



forts 



