I 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— July 22, 1856. 
201 
2. Mrs. Headley (Headley).—Medium red edge. Large 
arid good. 
3. Mrs. Hoyle (Hoyle).—Heavy red edge. Good. 
4. Rosetta ( Turner).—Light red edge. 
5. Eliza (Payne).—Light purple edge. Well defined, 
j 0 . Finis (May). — Light purple edge. Pure white 
ground. 
7. Mrs. May (Turner).—Heavy purple edged. Extra. 
8. Robin Hood ('Turner).—Medium purple edge. Large 
j flowers. 
0. Alice (Hoyle).—Rose aud scarlet; heavy edged. 
Extra fine. 
10. Countess of Errol (Turner)—Light edge, rose 
' and scarlet. 
| 11. Lady Grenville (Turner).—Heavy rose and scarlet 
edged. Peculiar pleasing shade ol colour, 
j 12. Mrs. Barnard (Barnard).—Rose and scarlet edge. 
! One of the best. 
Six Yellow G hound Picotees, Selected. 
Aurora, Bullfinch, Guernsey Maid, Mount Etna, 
Supreme, Topaz. 
T. Apx’Leby. 
(To be continued.) 
MUSHROOMS IN BOXES. 
A correspondent, whose case, doubtless, resembles 
many others, says that he has some spare boxes, twenty 
inches square by twelve deep, in which he wants to grow 
Mushrooms during the autumn and early winter, and 
afterwards to use the same boxes for forcing Sea-kale, 
Rhubarb, aud other things. His only place to store 
them is under the stage of a greenhouse, and he asks 
for advice in the matter. Now, this being a very 
common case, deserves attention, for the very economy 
of growing forced vegetables underneath the stage of a 
greenhouse is, in itself, a proof that the cultivator is 
imbued with the laudable desire to make all he can of 
his heating apparatus, which, he says, he can manage to 
keep up to 60°, or something like that temperature. 
Without expecting his greenhouse to be heated so much 
in the autumn months, there is reason to believe that 
for some considerable time the temperature will average 
that heat without artificial meaus; and during that time 
it must be used to the best advantage to forward the 
Mushroom crop, which we suppose to be the first one 
the amateur intends trying his hand at. And as be says 
he has a dozen boxes of the size mentioned above, it 
follows that he may adopt several plans by which this 
capricious production may be brought to present him 
with a successful result; and as the depth of the boxes 
is twelve inches, he may reasonably expect some of the 
: contrivances adopted will answer, if not the whole of 
them ; the only drawback being the limited time not 
allowing all the contrivances full power to act. Aud 
supposing he has his boxes all empty at the time these 
| notes go to press, I will mention two or three different 
i modes by which he may expect to produce a good crop 
I of Mushrooms. 
1st. Supposing there be access to horse-dung, then 
carefully shake out the droppings with a little of the 
short litter; let these be laid in some open place, but do 
not allow them to get much rain. Supposing there be a 
good cart-load, let it lie in a close heap until it shows 
signs of heating, which allow it to do merely for a few 
hours, then turn it, and repeat this operation the second 
day after, and continue doing this until it may lie four 
days without becoming rank or having an unpleasant 
smell, when it is ready to fill the boxes with, which may 
at once be done after first placing them somewhere out of 
the lull sun, or where they can be properly shaded, ft 
is advisable to fill them pretty tight; but the amateur, 
having several boxes, might try one more loose than the 
rest, and mark the result. Generally, however, they do 
best when rammed tight, and some spawn put in near 
the top, which spawn may be obtained of most nursery¬ 
men ; and the whole being made smooth, a stick may be 
thrust in to examine the heat afterwards; but if the 
dung has been properly prepared for a fortnight or three 
weeks, it seldom fails to continue to give out a genial 
warmth, sufficient for the purpose of the Mushrooms. 
After the boxes have been thus filled a week or teu days, 
if the heat seems gentle and steady, add a little maiden 
loam at the top, and then cover them up with loose hay or 
litter, which damp frequently; but do not by any means 
sodden the bed witli moisture until the Mushrooms 
appear, and do not thoroughly water it then if it con¬ 
tinues to bear well; but when it begins to decline, then 
give a good, sound watering, which may likely revive 
the bed or boxes, aud they will make a fresh start again ; 
but their growth this time will bo shorter than before ; 
iu fact, this last watering is like a stimulant applied to 
a worn-out object—a push is made at the moment, and 
then all is over with it. A great part of these latter 
remarks applies to the other cases I shall herewith 
mention. 
2nd. In some places it is difficult to obtain good 
horse-dung fresh from the dung hill. Where this is the 
case it is advisable to procure some from those who 
make it their calling to collect it from the roads ; but be 
sure to have such as has not been much heated in a 
large heap, being well dried on the road, and ground to 
dirt with the wheels of carriages, and a fair share of 
road-dust with it is of no objection; neither is it ob¬ 
jectionable if mixed with cattle or sheep-dung. The 
same course of preparations may be gone through as 
with the above-mentioned, and in filling the boxes let 
one or more be mixed with good, dry pasture-loam ; and 
if fresh spawn could be obtained, the chances are that 
this kind will be the first that will come into bearing. 
3rd. Where neither of the above methods can be put 
in practice, and there is still a desire for Mushrooms, I 
would advise the amateur to get some good spawn, and 
plant pieceS of it between rows of Potatoes that have 
been allowed plenty of room. In this he may have 
Mushrooms perhaps; but there is great uncertainty in 
it, as the digging up of the Potatoes often disturbs the 
spawn, after which it is seldom of any use. However, 
if there be any place where rough dung has been dug 
in during the past spring that is not likely to be dis¬ 
turbed, as, for instance, underneath a fruit wall, there 
by all means stick a few pieces of spawn in on such 
places, and, possibly, you may be rewarded with a 
plentiful crop of Mushrooms.' The bright glare of sun¬ 
shine ought to be prevented by some means; in other 
respects they require no further attention than letting 
alone. 
4th. If the amateur has a Cucumber or Melon bed at 
work which has been made of dung, and which he can 
allow to stand over winter, then, by all means, insert a 
few pieces of spawn, about as large as an orange or so, 
into the bed by thrusting in a large stick or dibber here 
and there, and there is every likelihood that towards 
spring next year he will have an excellent crop of Mush¬ 
rooms. I mention spring because it is rare that such 
beds show themselves before that time; but when they 
do turn out well, no place grows better Mushrooms than 
they do, and usually there is a good succession. I have 
a bed at the present time of that sort, which has been 
in bearing since February, and is likely to keep on for 
some time yet. 
General Directions. —Tt is proper here to observe, 
that a moist, warm atmosphere being what Mushrooms 
delight iu, they do not require that atmosphere changed 
so often as plants of other kinds do. This, of course, 
cannot be prevented except in buildings erected ex- 
