248 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



whole mass of spawn at once ; and although by 

 this means the crop is not always so soon pro- 

 duced, it has the merit of continuing to bear 

 abundant crops for a much longer period than 

 that of beds made in the ordinary way. Nicol, 

 an old but excellent authority, followed this 

 practice, and says the difference of time between 

 beds corning into bearing made in this way, 

 compared to the usual manner, will be three or 

 four weeks ; but the advantage will be, that in 

 the one the crop will only last a few weeks or 

 months, while in the other he has had them 

 producing all the year over, and sometimes two 

 years. His mode of proceeding was, after laying 

 a foundation " of ashes, stone chips, gravel, or 

 brickbats, so as to keep the bed quite dry and 

 free from under-damp, to lay over it a course of 

 horse- droppings, 6 inches thick. These should 

 be new from the stable, and must not be broken, 

 and the drier the better. They may be collected 

 every day, until the first layer be formed to the 

 above thickness, but they must not be allowed 

 to ferment or heat. In the whole process of 

 making up, the bed should be as much exposed 

 to the air as possible, and it should be carefully 

 defended from wet, if out of doors. When this 

 course is quite dry, and judged to be past a state 

 of fermentation, cover it to the thickness of 2 

 inches with light dry earth — if sandy, so much 

 the better. It is immaterial whether it be rich 

 or not, the only use of earth here being for the 

 spawn to run and mass in. Now lay another 

 course of droppings, and earth over, as above, 

 when past a state of fermentation; then a 

 third course, which earth over in like manner. 

 This finishes the bed, which will be a very 

 strong and productive one, if properly managed 

 afterwards. Observe that in forming the bed 

 it be a little rounded, in order that the centre 

 may not be more wet or moist than the sides. 

 If it be made up against a wall in a cellar, stable, 

 or shed, it should have a slope of a few inches 

 from the back to the front, less or more, accord- 

 ing to its breadth. I have sometimes," he says, 

 "been contented with two courses, as above, 

 instead of three, and often, when materials are 

 scarce, have made them up slighter, thus — 

 three 4-inch courses of droppings, with 1 inch 

 of earth between each, and a 2-inch covering at 

 top. Such a bed as this I have had produce for 

 ten or twelve months together ; but very much 

 depends on the state of the materials, and on 

 the care taken in making it up, also on the after 

 management. The droppings of hard-fed horses 

 only are useful. Those of horses on green food 

 will of themselves produce few or no mush- 

 rooms. This I have proved in more than one 

 instance, and I have moreover found that the 

 richer the keep of the horses, the more produc- 

 tive are their droppings. I have made up beds 

 from farm-horses fed partly on hard and partly 

 on green food, and from carriage or saddle 

 horses fed entirely on corn and hay — treated 

 them in the same way in every respect — and 

 have found, not once, but always, those made 

 from the latter the most productive." 



In any of these ways an abundance of spawn may 

 be procured, the production of which is the first 

 step in mushroom culture. To those, however, 



who have not ample means and proper material 

 at command, we would say, procure the spawn 

 ready made from a respectable nurseryman. It 

 varies in price from 5s. to 8s. per bushel. That 

 made by the London spawn-manufacturers we 

 have always found to be the best. The demand 

 is such, that the making of spawn bricks for the 

 supply of the London trade is now carried on 

 by parties who do little or nothing else. 



The formation of the beds. — The modes of this 

 are as different as the production of the spawn. 

 A mere recapitulation of them would tend to 

 little practical advantage, for all are aiming at 

 the same end, although they make use of very 

 different, and often very opposite means. The 

 essential points to be regarded are, proper ma- 

 terial, good spawn, moderate temperature, uni- 

 formity of humidity, according to the state of 

 the beds or crop — as while the spawn is running, 

 and until it is desired that the crops shall ap- 

 pear, they can hardly be kept too dry. After- 

 wards they require a greater amount of moisture, 

 and this, particularly during winter, applied in 

 a tepid state. Darkness has, by some, been 

 deemed essential ; light is admitted freely by 

 others, and of the propriety of so doing there 

 can be but one reasonable opinion. 



The London market-gardeners, who grow 

 largely for the supply of the market (even to 

 the extent, as computed by Mr Cuthill, of not 

 less than ten acres being continually under this 

 crop in the immediate vicinity of London alone), 

 form their beds in ridges in the open air, and in 

 manner following : " As the stable-manure is 

 brought home from the London stables, the 

 short material is shaken out of it, and the long 

 stringy part is kept for the purpose of covering, 

 as well as for forming the interior of the ridges. 

 The manure is not allowed to heat before it is 

 put into the beds, if that can be prevented — for 

 previously heated material does not produce so 

 fine mushrooms. The fresher the horse-dung 

 is, the longer will the crop last; and every one 

 who makes up beds with unheated droppings 

 knows how superior they are to fermented ma- 

 nure. If this is properly attended to, it does 

 not signify what kind of mould is used for sur- 

 facing the beds with. When the interior tem- 

 perature of the ridges gets down to 80°, it is 

 spawned with pieces about 2 inches square, 

 placed about 1 foot apart. The bed is then 

 moulded over 2 inches thick, pressed with the 

 feet, and afterwards beaten with the back of a 

 spade. It is then watered and beaten again 

 with the spade, and smoothed down. The more 

 the mould is pressed, the finer the crop is, and 

 the more solid the texture of the mushroom. 

 This and green unheated manure constitute the 

 two grand secrets in mushroom-growing. Beds 

 made up in this way want but little watering, 

 and when they are watered, it ought to be with 

 liquid manure. The ridges are covered with 

 straw and mats. Such ridges as these are con- 

 tinually being made, and when well formed they 

 last for two or three months in good bearing." 



Many think mushrooms produced on ridges, 

 in the open air, superior to those grown in 

 houses ; but we think, when sufficient light and 

 air are admitted, that they are as good in the 



