An Account of growing Mushrooms. 213 



The mushrooms come up uniformly over every part of 

 the bed, which is covered very slightly with straw (not suffi- 

 cient to exclude the light,) for the purpose of preserving 

 moisture on the surface. 



The spawn was obtained from the natural plant in the 

 fields, in October 1814, and was kept in lumps of earth, in 

 a dry room, till it was used. In growing it, however, by this 

 method, it is requisite to be particularly careful to select it 

 from places where the true mushroom alone grows, lest a 

 bad sort, or other noxious fungi, be introduced thereby into 

 the bed. 



When a daily supply is not wanted, this method of raising 

 mushrooms might be adopted, and a sufficient quantity for 

 a small family raised, by putting the dung and spawn into 

 boxes of such a size as might be conveniently placed into 

 the shelves, or other parts of greenhouses or conservatories. 



