19 
the temperature of tlie bed. Have a few straight smooth stakes, like 
short walking canes, and stick the end of these into the bed, 12 to 20 
feet apart; by pulling them out and feeling them with the hand one can 
tell pretty closely the temperature of the bed. 
All practical mushroom-growers know that if the temperature of a 
12-incli thick bed at 7 inches from the surface is 100° that within an 
inch of the surface of the bed will only be about 95° indoors and 85° 
to 90° out of doors. Also, that when the heat of the manure is on the 
decline it falls rapidly 5, often 10, degrees a day till it reaches about 75°, 
and between that and 05° it may rest for weeks. 
Some years ago 1 gave considerable attention to this matter of spawn¬ 
ing beds at different temperatures. Spawn planted as soon as the bed 
was made (live days after spawning, the heat in interior of bed ran up 
to 123°) yielded no mushrooms, the mycelium being killed. The same 
was the case in all beds Avliere the spawn had been planted before the 
heat in the beds had attained its maximum (120° or over). Where the 
heat in the middle of the bed never reached 115°, the spawn put in 
when the bed was made and molded over the same day yielded a small 
crop of mushrooms. A bed in which the heat was declining was 
spawned at 110°; this bore a very good crop, and at 100° and under to 
65°, good crops in every case were secured with several days’ delay in 
bearing in the case of the lowest temperatures. But, notwithstanding 
these facts, my advice to all beginners in mushroom-growing is, wait 
until the heat of the bed is on the decline and has fallen to at least 90° 
before inserting the spawn. 
Writing to me about spawning his bed, Mr. Withington, of New Jer¬ 
sey, says: u I believe a bed spawned at 90° to 70° and kept at 55° after 
the mushrooms appear will give better results than one spawned at a 
higher temperature, say 90°.” 
Here is the oddest thing about Mr. J. G. Gardner’s method of mushroom¬ 
growing. He does not give the manure any preparatory treatment for 
the beds. He hauls it from the cars to the cellar, at once spreads it 
upon the floor, and packs it solid into a bed. For example, on one oc¬ 
casion the manure arrived at Jobstown, July 8. It was hauled home 
and the bed made up the same day, and the flrst mushrooms were 
gathered from this bed the second week in September, just two months 
from the time the manure left the New York or Jersey City stables. 
The bed Avas 15 inches thick. In making it the manure was first shaken 
up loosely to admit of its being more evenly spread than if pitched out 
in heavy forkfuls, and it Avas then tramped doAvn firmly with the feet. 
The bed Avas then marked off into halves. On one-half (No. 1) a layer 
of a little over 3 inches of loam was at once placed over the manure. 
On the other half (No. 2) no loam Avas used at this time, but the manure 
on the surface of the bed—about 3 inches deep—was forked over loosely. 
Twelve days after having been put in the temperature of the bed No. 
