THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 199 
readily removed. Neither light nor ventilation is required 
for the crop, but it is desirable to have a window with a 
•close-fitting shutter in a convenient position, to afford light 
whenever required. A very high temperature is not at any 
time desirable, and during the greater part of the year no 
artificial heat will be necessary, but in the winter season 
some assistance of this kind will be required, and therefore 
means of heating must be provided. To state the case briefly, 
a four-inch pipe should run round the wall, and be fixed 
intermediate between the surface of the lower and the bottom 
-of the top bed. r The pipe should be connected with a boiler 
heating one of the plant or fruit houses, for the purpose of 
avoiding the expense and labour incidental to an additional 
fire. 
Formation oe Beds. — To prevent any misunderstanding, 
it may be well to intimate that all indoor beds, whether in an 
old outhouse or in a first-class mushroom house, are made in 
precisely the same manner. Usually the beds are made ex- 
clusively with horse-droppings ; but, apart from economical 
-considerations, a mixture consisting of horse-droppings, short 
litter, and dry friable loam can be strongly recommended. By 
adding loam less manure is of necessity required, and the beds 
-continue in bearing longer ; and if there is any difference the 
mushrooms are of finer quality. Maiden loam rather rich in de- 
cayed fibrous matter is alone suitable for this purpose, and it 
should be employed in the proportion of about one-iourth of the 
entire bulk. The same proportion of short litter is the most 
suitable, and if there is any difficulty in obtaining a sufficiency 
take the requisite quantity of the long stuff, selecting that 
which has been well saturated with urine whilst in the stable, 
and chop it up into lengths of about two inches. When 
shaken out straight a man will, with a sharp bill-hook, and 
by taking a good handful at a time, be able to chop up the 
requisite quantity in a very short time. 
When the droppings are procured from a stable on the 
place, they should be collected from the manure-heap about 
twice a week and spread out under cover, to keep them rather 
dry and prevent their exhaustion by fermentation, In pur- 
chasing manure it will be necessary to stipulate that it shall 
be new and contain a goodly proportion of droppings and 
short litter. When it comes to hand shake out all the short 
stuff and spread it out to dry ; for when thrown into a heap 
