416 FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



the steam and heat to evaporate. The bed must be 

 carefully protected from the inclemency of the 

 weather, and regularly covered with straw or litter, 

 and bass mats. Mushrooms are more frequently 

 grown in sheds, where they can be protected from 

 the frost and wet, on ridges prepared similar to what 

 I have described, and which should, also, have a 

 little straw or short hay spread over their surface. 

 To detail, however, all the various ways of cultiva- 

 ting this vegetable, would be a tedious undertaking. 



The accompanying Plate, No. 25, represents the 

 Ground Plan and Section of the Mushroom-House at 

 Woburn Abbey, which is similar to what is gene- 

 rally used in Germany for the culture of this vege- 

 table ; it was introduced into this country by Mr. 

 Oldacre, Gardener to the late Sir Joseph Banks, 

 and is, undoubtedly, the most successful means of 

 bringing the Mushroom to perfection during the 

 Winter months. 



The dimensions of this house are 70 feet long, and 

 10 feet in width, inside measure: the height of the 

 front wall is about eight feet, and that of the back 

 12 feet high. In this house there are rows of beds 

 along the front wall, which are about four feet square 

 each ; the partitions which divide the beds in the 

 length, consist of brick work, and the shelves are 

 supported by cast metal bars. There are also two tiers 

 of beds that run along the back, as is indicated in 

 the section, which are supported by cast metal bars, 

 similar to those of the front ; along the floor of this 

 house, immediately under the first tier of shelves, a 

 quantity of dung or leaves is introduced, which 



