September 9. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
371 
glauca, the milky-green leaved; G. L. intermedia, the 
intermediate cedar; G. L. pendula, the weeping Cedar, 
which is a very pretty variety; and G. L. pyramidalis 
argenteis, the upright silver-leaved Cedar. 
Cedrus elegans of the Horticultural Society, and 
Gedrus Africana of Gordon (The Mount Atlas Cedar).— 
We have already noticed this, but will add, that whether 
this is more than a variety of the Cedar of Lebanon 
seems at present to be not quite decided. It is certain 
that it resembles that species in its general appearance, 
and, perhaps, habit of growth ; hut it certainly has a 
remarkable character in the whiteness of its foliage. 
From the young plants that we have seen, we judge it 
will be found a more upright-growing tree, and with a 
tendency to form a more dense appearance, the branches 
appearing to be set much more close upon the main 
stem. It requires the same soil and situation as its 
relative. Travellers in Africa say that the timber is 
heavy, and capable of the finest polish, almost equal to 
mahogany. We have every reason to believe it to be 
perfectly hardy. Some plants of it, in various places 
that we have visited, appear to hear the severity of the 
winter with no protection whatever. The great point 
seems to be to have the soil well drained, and the plants 
set upon a raised mound of good friable loam, mixed 
with the chippings of stones. In this they will thrive 
well, the only attention necessary being to add to the 
mound as the roots advance, and to he sure and protect 
the young plants from being eaten by hares and rabbits. 
If the entire piece of ground is not protected, the best 
article for single plants, that we have seen, is some wire 
trellis, about half-a-yard or two feet high. Some strong 
iron rods, thrust in about four feet from the plant, in a 
circle, and standing upright a little higher than the 
wire trellis, serve as stakes to fasten the trellis to. This 
is an effectual protection, and lasts for several years. 
T. Appleby. 
{To be continued.') 
MAKING MUSHROOM-SPAWN AND BEDS. 
September being usually a dry month, with a steady, 
settled atmosphere, more congenial, we believe, to the 
production of fungi than any other month, we generally 
avail ourselves of it to prepare our mushroom-spawn, as 
well as to provide the materials of which we make our 
beds; but the former requiring some little time to pre¬ 
pare, and the season for that work spending fast, we 
make no apology for at once detailing the process. 
It is well-known to all who have had anything to do 
with hotbeds, that mushrooms often present themselves 
in large clusters along the sides or top of the bed long 
after all heat has subsided : that the spawn of the plant 
had, by some means, found its way thither, is evident to 
every one, and it only waited a fitting time to show 
itself to the world. Now, we have seen as good a crop 
of mushrooms in a frame upon an old hotbed as we 
ever saw on any prepared bed : and why not so ? The 
bed is formed of the substances most congenial to the 
mushroom, and if no contrary influences exist, and the 
spawn be allowed to develop itself, mushrooms may as 
well be produced in such a bed as in one expressly 
prepared for them; with this object in view, we generally 
scatter a little spawn on the top of every hotbed we 
make, and after it has performed its allotted duty as a 
hotbed, and, probably, forms a place on which to store 
half-hardy plants, it is then that mushrooms show them¬ 
selves, called into action by the moisture the bed receives 
in the overplus water given to the plants. This is not 
unusual; and we have seen clusters of mushrooms rise 
up underneath a pot of no meagre dimensions, and 
overturn it. So much for the natural power of growth 
of this delicate production; but it is not a solitary spe¬ 
cimen that performs such a feat; it is the combined ! 
force of the whole hatch, or family, for they are united 
by bands of common brotherhood, which age and an 
acquaintance with the world, however, separate. But : 
these tufts of mushrooms, shouldering each other as 
they do, are not the thin, lanky specimens we see some¬ 
times, but thick, juicy, and all that could he desired. 
Now, it requires no great amount of logic to show how 
well the place they are growing in suits them; the 
capabilities of the bed for a suceessional brood is also 
of no mean order; and though the crop may, and often 
will, appear as more the result of chance and caprice 
than of management, still some little assistance in the 
latter tells in many cases. 
Our object in pointing to these luxuriant clusters of 
mushrooms produced almost spontaneously, is to show 
in what manner mushroom-spawn may be obtained, 
or, in default of that, in which way it may he formed 
artificially. Our mode of making it, is to collect a 
quantity of horse-droppings, also some of sheep, or deer, 
and the same of cows, about one-half being of the latter; 
these are spread out on some dry, smooth bottom, and 
chopped and trodden together until the whole mass be 
of the consistence of brick earth. This cannot well he 
accomplished at once. It is, therefore, better to leave it 
for a day, and return to it again, when a little fibry 
loam may he added, and the whole beaten or trodden, 
and regularly mixed, and eventually spread out to a 
thickness of about three inches, when it may he cut up 
with a spade into pieces about the size of a brick, and 
allowed to lie then a day or two, to partly dry, turning 
the bricks as soon as they will allow of it; and by setting 
them on edge on a dry, fresh place, the extra moisture 
leaves them much quicker. When they become so 
that the finger can only with difficulty indent them, 
they may he carried into some warm corner of a shed, 
and piled up, adding some pieces of old spawn as you 
proceed, which can be placed between the layers in such 
a way as to keep them open; covering the whole with 
litter will he all that is wanted for some time, and as we 
suppose the heap to he only the size of a cart-load of 
matter, heating so as to take harm is not likely to 
occur. In about a fortnight examine the heap, and see 
if there be a mass of fine, white thready matter running 
into, around, and through the pieces of stiffened com¬ 
post. If this singular material be likely to omit im¬ 
pregnating any outside piece, removing that nearer the 
centre, and bringing another piece out, will generally 
effect a change. In about three weeks, or so, the 
whole will be sufficiently innoculated to keep, and to 
prolong it further would endanger those pieces breaking 
out into a crop of mushrooms at once, which it is 
desirable to avoid; breaking a piece or two will enable 
any one to tell, as it ought to smell like a mushroom, 
and be in a manner matted together with these white 
filaments we have been speaking of. Nothing more is ! 
required but to put them away into some dry place, and 
to lay them thin until they become perfectly dry. They 
will keep for years, hut as the trouble is not very great, i 
we usually make some fruit every year, and where beds i 
are made up late in autumn or winter, we are enabled j 
to use the spawn less sparingly than if the supply was i 
limited. 
We may add, that August is better than September 
for making the spawn ; hut there is yet time to do it, 
provided the materials he at hand, and the weather and 
other things propitious. Remember, we use no water, 
neither do we let the rain fall on the bricks; but as 
there is often a period of settled dry weather, much of 
the work, in fact, the whole of it, may be done out-of- 
doors without any danger, and in very few cases does 
spawn, so prepared, fail to produce a crop, when other 
things are likewise favourable. Preparation must also 
he made for Mushroom-beds. When there is a proper 
