THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES. 473 



Some two months. In the meantime, other manure 

 may be collected and prepared for a second bed, 

 and so the process would go on till April. Then 

 indoor bed making must cease, unless a deep cave or 

 cellar is available, as hot dry weather is not conducive 

 to the production of good Mushrooms by artificial 

 cultivation. Mushroom spawn cakes are made by expert 

 manufacturers, and cannot be produced with appreciable 

 success by amateurs. They arc fairly cheap, and it is wise 

 to purchase them fresh, as needed. Carefully examined 

 when broken, the cakes are found to contain a quantity of 

 white thread-like growth, which is the fungus mycelium. 

 When put into the manure bed, and warmth and 

 moderate moisture are furnished, this mycelium soon runs 

 all about the bed, producing spores in all directions, and 

 from these spores emanate the clusters of Mushrooms that 

 presently appear. It is not well to cut them, but they should 

 be neatly pulled by twisting the stems slightly, and they 

 then part from the bed and without injuring themycelium. 

 To have Mushrooms on outdoor beds it is needful that 

 the manure should be prepared in the same way as indi- 

 cated to secure successful results indoors ; but it is desirable 

 that there be greater bulk.. In this case beds are usually 

 made up from the 

 beginning of September 

 until the month ol 

 April. They are of 

 ridge form, having a 

 base of about 2ft. 9m. 

 broad and the same in 

 height, narro wi n g 

 towards the top, which 

 is rounded. The beds 

 should be built up on a 

 dry gravel or ash floor, 

 and very solidly, the 

 manure being trodden 

 in the erection. When 

 complete — and the 

 length of the bed must 

 be determined by the 

 quantity of man u r e 

 provided, then neatly 

 finished off — it should 

 be allowed to heal, 

 which it will do gradu- 

 ally. The stick lest 

 may here be easily 

 applied also. When 

 w a r m t h is goo d 

 the surface should be 

 spawned all over as 

 advised for indoor bedr, 

 and also be coated with 

 loamy soil that is fairly 

 adhesive ; then give a 

 moderate watering with 

 tepid water, and the 

 bed should be at once 

 covered up with a coat- 

 ing fully loin, thick of 

 straw litter or similar 

 material. Beds made 

 up in this way to stand 



through the worst MUSHROOM 

 winter months should 



have mats or specially made canvas covers placed over wi 

 them to throw off rain and snow, also to protect them from is 

 cold winds. Poles or strips ol wood lied to the covers 

 keep them secure in windy weather. .Much depends 011 

 the condition of the weather, but, as a rule, fully two 

 months elapses ere Mushrooms are ready to gather. The 

 usual practice is to begin pulling al one end, clear off all 

 large enough for use or sale, then give the bed, a 

 gentle watering and re-cover with the straw. Well- 

 made beds, properly spawned and eared lor, will give 

 Mushrooms for from two to three months. Cases have 

 occurred where beds insufficiently protected have been 



in hard weather frozen right through, then when a 

 thaw has ensued they have gone on cropping for some 

 time after. 



Outdoor beds may be made up under a wall, 

 the faces having a slight slope to the from, and when so 

 sheltered prove very successful. No matter how or 

 where made, it is essential that the manure be prepared 

 properly, that the beds be made up solidly, and that heat 

 be gentle and not fierce, as a fierce heat may burn the 

 spawn or mycelium. The spawn cakes must be fresh 

 and good and the spawning properly done. Soiling over 

 is essential, and should always be with mould that is free 

 from weeds and stones and readily adheres to the 

 manure. Finally, there must be no sparing of ample 

 covering. Nothing is better than the long straw shaken 

 from stable manure and dried in Ihe sun. Ilav is not 

 advisable, because it is more brittle and often full of 

 weeds. A little experience, provided ample materials be 

 at disposal, soon enables even a tyro to grow Mushrooms 

 outdoors successfully. 

 Mustard and Cress.— This estimable and rapidly-grown 

 salading can be had all the year round where there are 

 warm glasshouses or frames at disposal. In market 



establishments it is not 

 the hot and more expen- 

 sive Mustard, but Rape 

 which is grown as such, 

 and as ihis is cool rather 

 than hot, and is so 

 much cheaper in seed 

 form, it answers all 

 purposes. Private 

 growers can produce this 

 salading best by using a 

 number of shallow 

 wooden boxes about 

 3111. deep and of any 

 size. These should be 

 filled with a compost 

 one-half turfy loam, the 

 rest being old hot-bed 

 or Mushroom- b e d 

 manure, well mixed and 

 put into a heap, and 

 occasionally turned a 

 few months before 

 using. To keep up a 

 constant supply, a 

 couple of boxes should 

 be filled with soil and 

 sown about every four 

 days, one of Mustard 

 or Rape, the other of 

 Cress. The seeds may 

 lie soaked in water a 

 few hours, then drained 

 dry and put thickly 

 over the soil in the 

 boxes. This should 

 be almost level with 

 the top edges and 

 quite even. The seed 

 should L>e well pressed 

 down, gently watered, 

 and stood in warmth, 

 then covered oyer 

 with paper to exclude light, as in that case growth 

 is quicker and the stems more tender. The plants 

 will lilt. the paper, and in some six or eight 

 days, in good warmth, the salad should be ready for 

 ciilling. When done, the boxes should be emptied and 

 washed, then dried, and they are fit for further use. 

 Mustard and Cress may lie grown in shallow drills out- 

 doors, but should always be covered up with paper. 

 A hand-light or large cloche is useful also for promoting 

 rapid growth, but there is no method better than the box 

 system, especially when houses or frames can be utilised 

 lor the purpose. 



