November 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
103 
learn, that atmospheric heat alone is not the sole agent 
wanted to secure a crop; a little attention to the state 
of things will disclose the fact, that when Mushrooms 
are thus produced to a late period in the season, the 
ground will be found containing a greater amount of 
heat than is common in other years ; for instance, let 
us suppose the mean heat of the ground to bo 51° for 
September and October, in the generality of seasons, and 
this to gradually decline as the autumn advances, until 
it reach some point, say 48°, at which the Mushroom 
will not grow. Then, again, let us take a remarkable 
line autumn, wherein the ground temperature is main¬ 
tained until a later period in the year, the natural im¬ 
pression would be, that Mushrooms would continue to 
be produced until the decline did fall so low as no 
longer to allow them the necessary warmth to subsist 
on. This occurs, in ordinary seasons, about the middle 
or end of October, in the south of England; in the 
north before that time ; and in fine seasons it continues 
longer, as in the instance above-mentioned. 
Now all these facts indicate that the Mushroom, 
though not requiring all the heat of our summers, yet a 
greater amount is necessary than our autumns usually 
present; and we have reason to believe, that were our 
summer evenings longer, and accompanied by those 
refreshing dews so congenial to the Mushroom, they 
might be had in greater abundance at that period than 
as they now are; but with a dry, parched-up atmos¬ 
phere for some fourteen or fifteen hours out of the 
twenty-four, it is no wonder that a production so little 
indebted to sunshine should refuse to flourish under 
such conditions; otherwise, the Mushroom is not so 
partial to heat as many other productions; in fact, its 
being found in the north of England, in a wild state, 
quite as plentiful as it is anywhere in the south of it, 
indicates the preference it gives to a damp and cool 
climate to a dry and heated one. This peculiarity is 
not to bo wondered at when we look at the singular 
family to which it is related, some of whom are anni¬ 
hilated by exposure to sunshine. 
It is not necessary to pursue this subject further. I 
have explained why out-door beds are often very suc¬ 
cessful ; and I will now observe, for the information of 
those not versed in such matters, that the best Mush¬ 
rooms ought to be of a dark drab or palo brown colour 
outside, and not too white. The inside ought to be pale 
pink and fresh-coloured, and in substance it ought to 
be “ fleshy,” with a thick substantial stalk. Now then, 
these qualities are not sufficiently explained to enable a 
stranger to distinguish the true from the improper 
Mushroom, for there is a kind grows exceedingly large, 
with a smooth white back and pale interior, which is 
often gathered and presented as Mushrooms, and not 
unfrequently specimens as large as a dinner-plate are 
found, and reported in the local press as natural 
curiosities. This kind usually grows under trees or 
behind hedges, but it is also found in the open field; 
but I would particularly request all persons to be careful 
in using them; for without affirming them to be de¬ 
cidedly poisonous, they certainly are not wholesome; 
and as they are often produced in tufts of some half- 
dozen or so together, they are easily known from the 
genuine sort. However, I have never seen anything 
like them amongst the produce of an artificial bed. 
In the making.of a bed out-of-doors, it is necessary to 
have a larger body of heating material than where a 
bed is made in some warm house or corner. The dung, 
also, ought to be not too much exhausted in the process 
of turning and preparing, for it ought to have a lively 
heat in it at starting, otherwise it would not endure the 
test of a long season of hard duty. Nevertheless, it 
ought to be so far tempered as to prevent its over¬ 
heating ; a portion of the straw or litter may also be 
retained in it, to keep the body from becoming too 
much consolidated. When all is ready, and a suitable 
site fixed for the bod—which site, by-the-by, ought to 
be as much sheltered as possible, if it be by nothing 
better than by a deciduous tree, for even this often 
imparts a degree of dryness to the ground which it 
would not have without it—on such a place mark out . 
a bed of any length you choose, and begin its bottom i 
four feet wide. The shortness of the material used will 
prevent a bed being carried up with perpendicular 1 
sides; this, however, is immaterial, for it is not wanted, 
only be sure in the making up to tread or beat it well, 
in order to confine the heating material in such a way as 
to ensure its continuing so for a prolonged period; for, be j 
it remembered, that hot dung, by being trod very firmly, ! 
rarely ever heats to excess. In the course of making I 
up the bed, beat the sides as well as the top; so that ! 
when finished it ought to have the appearance of a 
“high pitched roof.” This done, let it remain a few 
days to see how it acts, and if it does neither overheat, 
nor refuse to heat at all, then spawn it at once, and 
coat it over with soil of a rather stiff kind, which (to 
lie on the whole surface of such a “roof-like” bed) ought 
to be rather wet than dry. Some growers apply it in 
the shape and consistency of mortar, but that is not 
necessary if the soil can only be made to lie on. It 
is then only necessary to cover the bed with nice dry 
litter, and over that some water-proof covering ought 
also to be added over the litter, as it is requisite to keep 
that as dry as possible in order to promote the heat of 
the bed. 
As most water-proof coverings of a portable and 
pliable kind are expensive, I have often used, as a make¬ 
shift, with very good result, hurdles thatched with 
straw. These, if carefully done, will turn off much 
rain ; and the under-covering being sufficient to exclude 
frosty winds, as well as retain the internal warmth of 
the bed, more costly coverings may be dispensed with. 
An occasional examination must be given it for a time, 
to see if all goes on aright, and in due time, we have 
no doubt but Mushrooms, in abundance, will be forth¬ 
coming, provided the bed has been made of good 
materials, and the spawn used has been good and fresh. 
The spawning, we need hardly observe, ought to be 
performed by inserting pieces of prepared spawn (or 
that from an old bed), of the size of an orange (or less 
will do) all over the bed, at distances of not more than 
six or eight inches apart, and deep enough to be 
covered a couple of inches or so. A good beating 
afterwards will efface all marks made in the operation. 
Water is but seldom wanted for an out door bed in 
winter, but towards spring it may be necessary, and 
should then be given freely when it is applied. 
It may be observed, that when the shelter of an out¬ 
house can be obtained the result is likely to be more 
satisfactory, as by that means the chilling effects of 
cold rains are obviated, and other difficulties removed ; 
and there are many such places vacant, any of which 
will serve the purpose. When a structure is put up on 
purpose, then, by all means, introduce fire-heat, for, 
after all, it imparts a degree of certainty to the crop 
which the greatest care can hardly ensure out-of-doors. 
J. Robson. 
CULTIVATION OF RAPE. 
Rape, otherwise Coleseed, is one of the most nu¬ 
tritious of vegetable productions usually appropriated 
as food for sheep stock, and is, at the same time, very 
productive when judiciously cultivated upon land best 
suited to its growth. It cannot, however, be compared 
with Swedes or Turnips in the weight of produce per 
acre, but upon many soils, not so congenial to the growth 
