November 20, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
455 
nailed boards, but narrow strips are best with a division between of 
1 inch or 2 inches, and by putting a piece of spawn here and there 
near these openings when the Mushrooms come, many of them will 
appear and grow through between the boards. It is often very 
curious to see them growing out of chinks in this way. Once a bed 
was made on a firm ash floor, and the spawn worked so well that 
Mushrooms came up in the ashes a foot and more away from the 
manure. This was in a cool shed in December, and it only shows 
how much they are inclined to grow where the conditions are natural 
and agreeable to them. 
In making up the beds I estimate the space the material will fill, 
then a layer is put all over the bottom of this and trodden firmly 
down ; another lot added and treated in the same way until the top 
has been reached and all the material used. Sometimes when we 
may not have more than a cartload of manure, the bed is not large, 
but I find small beds from 2 yards to 3 yards in length, if made up 
every ten da} s or so, are more useful in keeping up a succession than 
making larger ones at long intervals. Since last September I 
have made up six beds, and the largest are not more than 12 feet 
long and 4 feet wide. The first was spawned on September 1st, and 
the first dish was cut from it the second week in October. Would a 
heated house bed have come in quicker ? I think not. The second 
bed, made up a fortnight later, is now bearing well, and the third 
formed early in October is showing many little buttons. 
The spawn bricks are broken into many small pieces and dibbled 
in 3 inches from the surface almost as soon as the bed is finished. 
Sometimes it is put in at once, and never later than two or three days 
afterwards. After dibbling it in the holes are filled and the surface 
trodden over again, then the soil is put on. This consists of the 
fiiiest parts of the loam which has been left over in preparing the 
soil for potting. This should not be too wet or too dry. When too 
dry it will not bind and does not keep in the heat ; when too wet it 
goes together like the surface of a slate, and then when it becomes 
drier it cracks in many places and the small Mushrooms are spoiled 
by this ; but when in a suitable binding condition, neither sticking to 
the spade, hands, or feet, it may be beaten into a good surface and 
remain in this form. We never wet the surface through a watering- 
pot before beating down, as this would create the brickbat surface, 
which we do not like. After the soil has been put on we generally 
sprinkle a thin layer of sand over the surface, and this prevents many 
of the little Mushrooms damping off, which they might do in trying 
times. 
As soon as the surface has been finished a thin layer of dry hay, 
straw, or fern is spread all over the surface, and this is taken off and 
more put on as each lot becomes moist. This covering prevents the 
surface of tke bed from drying too fast, and keeps off any cold 
currents of wind from the tender crop. In addition to this, in very 
cold weather I have put some mats above the hay, and I find this 
covering a very great assistance in shielding the produce. As our 
beds do not heat very violently or excessively the surfaces are not 
dried too much before the Mushrooms come through, and it is very 
rarely that any water is applied to the surface until the bed has been 
bearing for a considerable time and shows signs of weakness, then a 
thorough supply of water heated to 95° and a thick covering of hay 
afterwards will put fresh life into it and induce another crop to come. 
In this way two crops may always be taken from one bed, but this is 
all that can be reasonably expected. 
Last year a well-known gentleman in this county saw and was 
pleased with the way our Mushrooms were growing in the sheds, and 
having some empty cow sheds he was induced to try Mushroom-grow¬ 
ing in them, and he was soon in possession of capital crops. Indeed 
there is no kind of shed in which they may not be grown freely, and 
I am sure if many of those who think they could not grow them 
would only begin they would be astonished with their own success. 
Good spawn is absolutely indispensable to success. Without this the 
most skilful growers would fail. I know of one person who had them 
wonderfully fine last winter from a certain spawn, but since then he 
has had some from another place, and he has not been able to obtain 
any Mushrooms this autumn. As choice vegetables are generally 
scarce from November until April or May, where materials are con¬ 
venient beds should be made up from October until February, that 
Mushrooms may be produced throughout the whole of the shortest days. 
—J. Muir. 
THE GRAPE SEASON. 
As a white companion for Black Hamburgh, and therefore 
quite an amateur’s Grape, there is no variety in my opinion to 
equal Foster’s Seedling. It is in every respect a model variety, 
as it possesses a good constitution, is very prolific, and produces 
rnedium-size compact bunches, the berries also being of medium- 
size, and the flavour, though not rich, is yet agreeable and 
refreshing. Like the Black Hamburgh it will ripen with little 
or no fire heat, but is all the better for a moderate amount of it. 
At one time I was under the impression that there were inferior 
forms of Foster’s Seedling, but I find that indiffei’ent culture 
will completely change the character of the Grape. For instance, 
the Vines of it may be made during one season to perfect hand¬ 
some bunches with good-sized, oval-shaped, and beautifully 
coloured berries, and during the next season, owing to over¬ 
cropping and the withholding fire heat, the bunches may be 
small, the berries also small, nearly round, and almost green in 
colour when supposed to be fully ripe. Plenty of light and sun¬ 
shine, doubtless, are the primary agents in the successful ripening 
and colouring of white Grapes generally, but if we overcrop we 
must not expect either perfect finish or perfect quality. Foster’s 
Seedling is particularly good for pot culture, and some of the 
best ripened examples of it I have yet seen were cut from pot 
Vines. 
Buc’dand Sweetwater is not unfrequently preferred to Foster’s 
Seedling for forcing or a cool house, and when well finished it is 
certainly of very attractive appearance, being then nearly certain 
to win premier honours at the early shows. At its best the 
bunches areof medium-size and rather loose, the berries large and 
round, and the colour a beautiful clear amber. The quality, 
however, is seldom first-rate, and more often than not the berries 
are little better than bags of sugar and water. According to my 
experience it is of vigorous growth, and must not.be closely 
spurred back if we wish to secure plenty of good bunches. It 
should also be given plenty of light and time to colour well. I 
have also found this a good variety for pot culture, but prefer 
Foster’s. 
Golden Champion.—I h.ave not had much experience with 
this Grape. 1 assisted to plant and cultivate a Vine of it when 
it was first sent out, and we were almost startled at the strong 
growth and immense leaves it produced. Unfortunately it failed 
completely, and we never cut a bunch of any great value, the 
consequence being its uprootal in order to make room for a more 
certain cropper. It has since been given another trial with the 
same results, and I am of opinion the position of that vinery, 
and many others where it has failed, do not suit the variety. 
What is wanted for this noble Grape is a high and dry position, 
this tending to check grossness, and consequently insures better 
ripening of the growth. I may be wrong in this premise, but 
the only satisfactory instances of successful culture I have yet 
witnessed were carried out in vineries in rather elevated positions 
Even in these cases close spurring is not practised, the plan 
being at pruning time to shorten the spurs to about four or five- 
buds. In this, or any other similarly moist neighbourhood, 1 
should not attempt to grow the Golden Champion. Neither does, 
grafting or inarching it on another less vigorous stock long avail 
in checking undue grossness, as the Champion soon communicates 
its nature to the stock. If I was particularly anxious to secure- 
bunches of it I should work it on a Black Hamburgh or Foster’s 
Seedling stock, and allow the latter to form at least two rods to- 
one of the Champion. The “ spot” to which Golden Champion 
and the Duke of Buccleuch appear to be peculiarly liable to is 
also least troublesome in an elevated position. 
The Duke of Buccleuch I have not grown, but from what I 
have seen of it should say it is of much the same style of growth 
as the Golden Champion, and will succeed under tbe same con¬ 
ditions. The Duchess of Buccleuch I should advise no one to 
grow. Fully eighteen years ago I was a close observer of the 
habit of this variety, and was disappointed with the results of 
the fair trial given it. it produced extra long but very thin 
bunches, and the berries were round and very small. No fault 
could be found with the flavour, but I consider Grapes thaU 
produce small berries should form compact bunches, or at any 
rate they should not be ridiculously long and thin. A very 
creditable bunch of Duchess of Buccleuch was included m a 
collection of Grapes at the Exeter Summer Show, but judging 
from the size of the rather oval-shaped berries, I am inclined to 
think the rod producing it must have been woi'ked on a stock 
sufficiently vigorous to change the character of the scion. Much, 
that I have written with regard to the berries and shape of 
bunch of the Duchess is also applicable to the variety named; 
Dr. Hogg, as this somewhat resembles the Duchess, but is 
superior in point of quality. Those who prefer the Frontignan 
flavour and crispness should grow this variety, as it is of remark¬ 
able good quality and not so liable to cracla’ng as others of the 
same class. As foreman in a good garden I had some experience 
with Ohaseelas Musqus and Ferdinand de Lesseps. Both are 
delicious, but the former cracks very badly, and the latter pro¬ 
duces most insignificant bunches, and they both soon found their 
way to the rubbish heap 
The late Mr. Pearson of Chilwell effected a cross between 
the last-mentioned and Black Alicante, and about ten years ago 
I had the pleasure of inspecting and testing theiifavour of the 
