HOW TO GROW MUSHROOMS. 



725 



must be turned. After two or three weeks the tendency 

 to violent heating will begin to lessen, but the turning 

 should be repeated till the temperature no longer will 

 rise above 125°, and the rank smell is gone from the 

 manure. If it is dry and chaffy it should be moistened 

 ■with water, but never made so wet that you can squeeze 

 a drop of water out of it. Wet manure is poor stuff. 

 Jiovi it is ready for making into beds. 



The bed may be made flat upon the floor or rounded 

 like a bank against the wall, or made like a ridge, and 

 of any width and length you please and have material 

 for. We generally make indoor beds, if flat, 8 to 12 in- 

 ches deep ; if banked, 12 to 16 inches in the deepest 

 part ; if in ridges, 16 to 24 inches high. A very thick 

 ibed is apt to get too warm when newly made up, and 



spawn and break it into tufts 2 '/i to 3 inches square, and 

 insert these pieces into the face of the manure, about 9 

 or 10 inches apart each way, and just deep enough to 

 be barely buried out of sight, and again pack the sur- 

 face firm. Then let the beds alone for ten days, when 

 you may earth them over. 



Have your loam moist and in nice friable condition, 

 and spread it over the beds so as to cover all the man- 

 ure one to two inches deep, making it all very firm and 

 smooth with the back of a spade. Five weeks after 

 this work you may expect to see some mushrooms. 



A temperature of 50° to 60° should be maintained, 

 and an even one of 56° should give fine results. The 

 manure will keep the interior of the bed warm enough, 

 and it falls upon vou to keep the atmospheric heat all 



Egandale : Looking Toward th: 



they are not needed, for the spawn seldom travels a foot 

 deep. If the beds are flat, box in the sides with ordi- 

 nary boards. You can make beds also on shelves, in 

 tubs, troughs, wide shallow boxes or frames in a cellar. 



In making the bed shake up the manure well and 

 spread it evenly over the space to be occupied by the 

 bed, beating it firmly with the back of the fork as you 

 go along ; or spread on the manure in layers, and tread 

 it down firm with the feet, till the required height is 

 reached. In a few days the manure will probably warm 

 up to 110° or 125°, but it must be let alone till it is-on 

 the decline and reaches 90° or lower. Then it may be 

 spawned. 



For spawning take bricks of the English sort, and 

 break them up into 10 or 12 pieces, or take some French 



Rock Garden. (See page 722.) 



right. If you can keep the room or cellar at this 

 equable temperature, so much the better; but if you 

 cannot, them with a thick covering of dry hay or straw 

 laid over the beds you can maintain this heat in them 

 to the surface, or you can make a box frame over the 

 beds, and lay the hay, straw, thatch, mats or old carpet 

 or anything else you use over the frame. This is better, 

 especially when the beds are in bearing. And with a 

 covering like this it matters not whether the beds are in 

 an open-side shed, for the London market gardeners 

 grow mushrooms in large quantity in winter in open air 

 beds. 



In gathering mushrooms always pluck them out by 

 giving them a gentle twitch and a pull, and never cut 

 them. Cook them when they are fresh. 



