74 
THE LADIES’ MAGAZINE OF GARDENING. 
ON THE CULTURE OF MUSHROOMS. 
BY J. O. 
As you call your work a Magazine of Gardening, I presume you will 
occasionally admit articles of horticulture as well as floriculture; and 
thus I trust the following observations on the culture of mushrooms may 
not he considered inapplicable. 
Mushrooms are in great request in all families, and at all seasons of the 
year, but a sufficient quantity is rarely supplied even in the autumnal months ; 
to account for this, it is generally supposed that the production of them at 
any season of the year is attended with considerable expense. That this 
supposition is fallacious as regards the autumnal supplies, many gardeners 
are aware ; for during that season mushrooms may be grown at little or 
no expense in a variety of ways. It is indeed surprising that the methods 
of growing mushrooms, known to most gardeners, are not more frequently 
practised; especially as, if they should not be attended with complete 
success at all times, the loss of the spawn may be regarded as the only 
expense attending the trial. 
The most common methods of growing mushrooms at little expense 
are inserting pieces of spawn in melon beds on the lining, or in hotbeds of 
any kind, or in pots or boxes placed in stables or cellars ; all these methods, 
however, having been frequently published, I shall not enter into details 
respecting them; particularly as I have never seen mushrooms equal to 
some, grown round hayricks, in the manner I am about to describe. These 
mushrooms grew, on what appeared to be a solid piece of road grit, the 
ground round the ricks having been made hard to keep the hay dry; the 
solidity of this bed appears to have been of great benefit to the mushrooms, 
and was, no doubt, one reason of their being superior in flavour and 
fleshiness to those grown in the fields; to produce them in similar situ¬ 
ations pieces of spawn should be placed in holes an inch and a half 
below the surface, the holes to be then filled up and made as solid as 
possible. This may be done at any time after the rick is made. 
Another method, and one which I have found productive of satisfactory 
results, is to make a number of holes in July or August on the lawn near 
the house, with a dibble having a flat end ; in each of these place a piece of 
spawn wrapped in a little hay, put a little road sand in each hole, and tread 
the grass over it. The warm rains of autumn will generally bring up some 
very good mushrooms, and I have known this plan give peculiar satis¬ 
faction and delight to ladies and gentlemen, who are generally at their 
country seats in the autumn, and who are delighted to be able to go out 
