264 
IVY AND OTHER UNDERWOOD. 
The manner of spawning. — Spawning a bed 
is the act of introducing small pieces of the 
spawn cake into the bed, at certain distances, 
with a wooden dibble, or with the hand, the 
pieces being of equal sizes. The distance of 
the holes from each other may be six or eight 
inches, and their disposition after the manner 
of a chess-board. Immediately the spawn is 
introduced, the dung must be pressed with 
the hand, so that the holes may be well 
covered. This done, the bed is covered with 
some long rough litter about four inches 
thick. 
In order to ascertain that the spawn has 
" taken," the litter is removed, and if small 
whitish filaments are seen at the surface, and 
which appear to be growing, it is a certain 
indication that the operation has been success- 
ful. The bed is then covered with earth 
from two to three inches thick, slightly 
damped if necessary, and then gently beaten 
Avith the back of the shovel to keep it firm. 
This finished, the rough litter which was pre- 
viously taken off, is again laid over the whole. 
If, on visiting the bed, no trace of filaments 
is visible outside, it may be taken as a proof 
that the spawn has not taken ; in this case it 
will be necessary to put in more, but not in 
the same holes. If at a second, or even a 
third visit, nothing is seen to indicate a fa- 
vourable result, it may be safely inferred that 
the bed has been ill-constructed, the dung ill- 
prepared, or some unforeseen cause has formed 
an obstacle to the success of the undertaking, 
and nothing remains but to submit to go 
through the labour again. 
A bed of from eight to ten yards long, well 
constructed, of good dung, will yield a return 
sufficient for the wants of a family of eight or 
ten persons, though gathering every other 
day for more than three months. 
Conclusion. — Gathering mushrooms on the 
bed involves no liability to mistakes likely to 
lead to serious consequences. There is no- 
thing in general found among the good sorts, 
but a few coprinus (coprini), which may be 
easily distinguished by their conical form, 
their feeble stalks (stipes), the slightness of 
the gills (lamella?), and the readiness with 
which they turn into a dark-coloured water. 
But if mushrooms are gathered in the woods, 
mistakes may prove mortal, as there is found 
in the same places the clammy mushroom 
(Agaricus illinitus), with pink gills, but no 
ring; the A. pontherinus, with the ring pre- 
sent, but whose gills are always white ; and 
especially the terrible bulbous mushroom 
(A. muscarius ?), which has the same distinc- 
tive character. In order, therefore, to be 
sure of the true mushroom (A. campestris), 
we must discover, first, pink gills, passing to 
the black, and liable to turn into water : 
second, a ring (under the crown) ; third, a 
stalk without an envelope (volva) at the base ; 
fourth, the flesh somewhat thick, firm, and 
of an agreeable smell. But it is always safe 
not to take those which are too far advanced, 
that is to say, those whose gills have become 
black and the cap much notched, as they are 
indigestible and very exciting. 
After eating mushrooms, should any un- 
favourable symptom occur, such as indiges- 
tion, oppression at the stomach, nausea, or a 
desire to vomit, it will be sufficient to drink 
a little hot tea, or brandy in hot water, or 
water in which balm or mint has been infused, 
and not to sleep less than six or eight hours 
after taking the draught. If it is apprehended 
that some of the bad kinds have been eaten, 
no time ought to be lost in submitting to a 
course of vomiting by means of tepid water, 
or by tickling the throat with a greased 
feather. 
IVY AND OTHER UNDERWOOD. 
Ivy may be considered a very curious kind 
of underwood, seeing that it is a most vigo- 
rous climber, but it is also one of the best 
possible carpets for the ground under large 
trees. We recommended it years ago, but 
saw its failure more complete than any other 
failure that we ever witnessed, and that 
entirely through the worst mismanagement. 
All gardeners should know, that close to the 
stump of a tree there can be no nourishment 
for anything, yet a score vigorous plants were 
placed as near the stem of a large tree as 
depth of soil to hide the roots could be got, 
and then were trailed along the ground, but 
in some years had made no progress worth 
mentioning. The only way to make Ivy a 
good carpet is to plant it outside, instead of 
inside, and train it along the ground inwards 
towards the stump. Say a cedar has neither 
grass nor any other vegetation under it for a 
circumference of thirty feet distance, or one 
hundred and eighty feet. Thirty plants of 
Ivy would reach all round at six feet apart, 
but as the sooner the ground is covered the 
better, use sixty plants three feet apart, and 
let these plants be well grown, with six feet 
of growth already. Plant the Ivy all round 
at these distances, and peg the branches in- 
wards towards the tree, but spreading them 
wide enough apart to cover the ground as well 
as you can so far as they go. These plants 
derive their nourishment from a part of the 
ground where the rain and air reach them 
partially, and where the influence of the roots 
of the tree does not reach them. Their growth 
is rapid, and is to be constantly directed 
inwards, and will reach in an incredibly short 
time the stump of the tree itself, the ground 
