MUSHROOM-HOUSES. 



467 



place a ceiling over it (as high as the top 

 of the walls) of boards 1 inch thick, and 

 plaster it on the upper side with road 

 sand, well wrought together, 1 inch thick, 

 (this will be found superior to lime,) leav- 

 ing square trunks, /, in the ceiling 9 inches 

 in width, up the middle of the house, at 

 6 feet distance from each other, with 

 slides s under them, to admit and take off 

 air when necessary. This being done, 

 erect two single-brick walls, v v, each five 

 bricks high, at the distance of 5^ feet 

 from the outside walls, to hold up the 

 sides of the lower beds a and form one 

 side of the air-flue tutu, leaving 3 feet 

 up the middle, t x t, of the house for the 

 floor. Upon these walls, v v, lay planks, 

 t u, 4^ inches wide and 3 inches thick, in 

 which to mortise the standards t k which 

 support the shelves. These standards 

 should be 3^ inches square, and placed 

 4 feet 6 inches asunder, and fastened at 

 the top through the ceiling. When 

 the standards are set up, fix the cross- 

 bearers, i n i n, that are to support the 

 shelves o o, mortising one end of each into 

 the standards n, the other into the walls 

 i The first set of bearers should be 2 

 feet from the floor, and each succeeding 

 set 2 feet from that below it. Having 

 thus fixed the uprights, t k, and bearers, 

 i n, at such a height as the building will 

 admit, proceed to form the shelves, o o, 

 with boards 1^ inches thick, observing to 

 place a board, d d, 8 inches broad and 1 

 inch thick, in the front of each shelf, to 

 support the front of the beds. Fasten this 

 board on the outside of the standards, 

 that the width of the beds may not be 

 diminished. The shelves being complete, 

 the next thing to be done is the construc- 

 tion of the flue, (p in section) which should 

 commence at the end of the house next 

 to the door, run parallel to the shelves all 

 the length of the house, and return back 

 to the fireplace, where the chimney should 

 be built, the sides of the flue inside to be 

 of the height of 4 bricks laid flatways, 

 and 6 inches wide, which will make the 

 width of the flues 1 5 inches from outside 

 to outside, and leave a cavity (t u) on each 

 side betwixt the flue and the walls that 

 are under the shelves, and one (% y) up 

 the middle, betwixt the flues, 2 inches 

 wide, to admit the heat into the house 

 from the sides of the flues." 



A humid atmosphere appears, from all 



we see in nature, as well as from experi- 

 ence in artificial culture, to be exceedingly 

 favourable to the production of mush- 

 rooms. The flues, therefore, of such a 

 house as we have been describing, should 

 be covered with hollowed tiles, and these 

 frequently supplied with water, that a 

 genial and warm steam may be produced, 

 or evaporating pans may be set upon 

 them. 



We give this lengthened description 

 because the principle of the house is good. 

 Modern improvements have, however, 

 been added, of which the heating by hot 

 water is not the least important. Slate 

 and stone shelves have also been substi- 

 tuted for the wooden ones, answering the 

 same purpose, with the advantage of being 

 more durable. Iron uprights and cross- 

 bearers have also taken the place of wooden 

 ones, and more durable ceilings have been 

 adopted, some of which are arched over in 

 brick — as that of Patrick's, afterwards to be 

 described. Asphalt, slate, and even pave- 

 ment, have also been used for the ceiling. 

 From the humidity, and want of free cir- 

 culation of air, mushroom houses are more 

 liable to decay than any other horticul- 

 tural building ; hence the necessity for 

 using material less perishable than wood. 

 In the Royal Gardens at Frogmore, that of 

 Trentham, and elsewhere, slate shelving 

 is used : it is not only more durable, but 

 more elegant, and occupies less space. 

 Indeed, there is no reason why iron shelves 

 should not be used altogether ; but in 

 either case the bottoms should be perfor- 

 ated with abundance of holes, to prevent 

 the beds becoming at any time too damp. 

 Mushroom shelves of pavement support- 

 ed on brick piers, and arches of brick 

 thrown very flat, and levelled on the 

 top, are now common : the only objec- 

 tion to these is the space taken up with 

 the material. On the whole there is 

 nothing better, cheaper, or more durable 

 than iron uprights and bearers, with 

 either thin pavement or thick slate for 

 shelving. 



Sellers' mushroom-house. — This house is 

 thus described in " The Gardeners' Chro- 

 nicle," 1841, p. 277. Fig. 661 "represents 

 a section of the interior of the house, with 

 three beds of mushrooms, a a a, 18 feet 

 long, and 3 feet wide ; and three shelves 

 for forcing rhubarb, b b b, 1 foot 3 inches 

 wide : if circumstances permit, these 



