Janoart 13. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENEK. 
after they have beptun, yet there are others who, having 
the necessary means and conveniences, make up a bed 
occasionally all through the season ; a few words to such 
, may he both seasonable and advantageous, as it must he 
understood, that the same means used in September or 
' October are more likely to become successful than* those 
used in January. The reason “why,” is not so easily ex¬ 
plained in this ease as that of many other problems in 
forcing; unless we tak-e it for granted, that the spawn runs 
' with more avidity in those months immediately following 
I the period when it is found ]iroduoing mushrooms in a 
I natural way; or, perhaps, the absence of success may be 
traced to something defective in the spawm used, which, 
however, can hardly bo the case, because we have used it 
■nt all seasons, and have generally found that put in about 
the month of October the most productive of any; even 
where a later crop had many other advantages. Another 
thing late mushrooms have to contend against are the attacks 
of innumerable insects and other enemies, whose destruc¬ 
tion or prevention is more dillicult than might at first be 
supposed ; Imt such is the case, and beds bearing late in 
the spring become infested with maggots and the numerous 
small fiy which find their way into such snug quarters as 
this favoiu'ite production is often treated with. Neverthe¬ 
less, wliere mushrooms are wanted for talde all the year, 
successioiial beds must he made ; and the remarks we now 
offer on their formation will serve, with some slight varia¬ 
tion, for the whole year. 
In the first place, a supply of good useful dung must he 
had; that of horses has,from time immemorial been I’e- 
commended, but that of sheep, and, I believe, deer, might 
be profitably use^l likewise: certain it is, that I have seen 
an excellent crop of mnshrooms from a bed formed of 
sheep-dung alone; and, what may not sni’prise those who 
Imow its value, the. specimens there produced were thicker 
and bettei- in substance than those from horse dung ; and 
tiiough the bed was exceedingly thin, and partly mixed 
and coated with loam, yet it continued to bear for many 
weeks; but then it was formed at a more favourable time 
of the year than this. Still, I must admit, that a quantity of 
sheep dung mixed with the other is attended with a benefit, 
anil as it is often to be had in consider.able quantities 
underneath trees and other sheltered places where sheep 
are accustomed to rest at nights in the autumn, its collec¬ 
tion and removal from thence is both easy, and little or no 
detriment to the land it is taken from. Horse dung is 
tolerably well known, and for purposes of mushroom 
growing, at this untoward season, should be procured 
without being heated; it is not easy to have it so, if an 
accumulation of it be left for many days—and it is not too 
much to say, that throwing it up into a heap when fresh, 
and allowing it to lie untouched for only three full days, 
will have seriously injured it for the purposes we now 
intend it for; or, in fact, for heating purposes either. 
True, throe days may be insufficient in some instances; 
hut in others we know they would; and we therefore 
warn the inexperienced particularly on this point. For dung 
that has undergone a heating process to a degree that 
would almost cook food, has parted with some of its most 
nutritive parts, and would seem little better qualified to 
maintain vegetation than the ashes or other residuum of a 
furnace, which, wo all know, are for a time sterile; but by 
exposure to tlie atmosphere, and, perhaps, the conjunction 
of other matters, lose their pernicious qualities and, a.ssi- 
milating to themselves those of an opposite kind, speedily 
become fertile in their turn, and, in many instances, are 
used as such with advantage. Now though we cannot 
affirm that horse dung that has been heated so as to be¬ 
come white, and remains so, is .absolutely poisonous; yet 
it is beyond a doubt, that in that condition it is repulsive to 
all but the lowest class of vegetation; that class to which 
I he “mould’’ and inildew owe their origin, and whose 
dominion is s.aid to be more extensive than any other, lint 
though the mushroom belongs to a family related to this 
pernicious one, yet its presence is not so universal, and is 
generally hailed with delight when it shows itself, instead 
Ilf that dislilce with which the many species of mildew and 
its kindred species are I'egarded by all but the enthusiastic 
botanist who makes this abstruse part of the science his 
particular stud_v. 
293 
Returning again to the subject, I may say, that fresli 
horse-dung—that has neither been soaked in rain nor over¬ 
heated—may he prepared by separating as much of the 
littery matter as can well be done, .and the heap thrown up 
to heat a little; but as soon as it reaches a degree of warmth 
which is uncomfortable for the hand, it must be turned, and 
that process repeated almost every day for a few times, after 
which it \vill gradually subside in heat, and longer intervals 
betwee)! turning will suffice, until that moderate sweet heat 
be attained wiiich is tolerably well known to the practical 
man; even the uninitiated may have a tolerably good 
knowledge of its ripeness for use, by the mild, steady 
warmth it furnishes. Now this state of preparation may be 
carried too far; dung may be worked over and over until its 
heating qualities are entirely spent, so that when applied to 
the intended pui’poses, it is no longer able to command the 
warmth needed. I may observe, that in about the middle of 
its preparatoiy course the sheep dung may be added, and 
if it bo done in any quantity exceeding one fourth of the 
whole, the increased heat accorded will require correspond¬ 
ing caution on the part of those having charge of it; and it 
must not in any case be used >mtil it be subsided into that 
steady mellow warmth which is alike congenial to all around 
it, and lasting in its eflects; even then, at this late period, 
beds made up ought to be in such a situation as to have the 
advantage of fire, or other heat, ajiart from their own; for 
though the mushroom would seem to relish the cold dews 
of autumn, when growing in the open air, yet when in an 
artificial efrndition, a certain amount of heat is requisite to 
bring a bed of it into good bearing;,so that, after all, one of 
the principal secrets in the growing is to furnish it with 
that amount of heat calculated to stimulate it. Therefore, 
any beds that ajipear sluggish are often rendered ])roductive 
by the application of fire heat, healing the atmosphere, or, 
it miiy be, something in the way of dung linings, waianing 
the bed, when the former is impracticable. Rut at this 
season, new beds made up must be kept up tolerably warm, 
and being spawned so, the heat ought not to be allowed to 
subside until the bed begjns to hear. This course cannot 
always be followed, but may be partly so. If necessity 
compels the bed to be made out-of-doors, let it by all means 
have an amount of covering calculated to throw off all wet 
likely to fall; or, in fact, it ought to have some waterproof 
covering apart from the litter which forms its coating, and, 
if needs be, hot dung must be applied to its sides. 
Out door beds are more exti’avagant in the quantity of 
dung they reiiuire than those on shelves, or in any sheltered 
in-door position ; the extra bulk being wanted to maintain 
that amount of warmth, without which success is uncertain. 
The mode of making them is tolerably well known. A site 
being fixed on, which ought to he as dry as possible (under 
a large tree is not a bad ]ilace), and the length marked out, 
the dung is then spread over to the width of about four 
feet, which is trod firmly, and more added, building up the 
sides as you proceed, so that the bed be firm and even at 
the last; it will not settle much; so that if it be made at 
this season, and the dung has been previously well pre¬ 
pared, it may be spawned at once, and a covering of litter 
put over it, which, however, must be withdrawn if the heat 
increase so as to appear likely to be excessive ; it is easy to 
ascertain this by sticking a stick or two in the beil, and 
examining them at times. Spawn must also be used with 
a more liberal hand now than earlier; .and if the moist 1 
warmth of the bed dampen the litter r\hioh covers it (which j 
it is almost sure to do j this must ho exchanged for drier j 
covering. A very little degree of warmth is sufticient to I 
Start the spawn; but should it subside until scarce any ! 
exist, hot dung must be applied against one side of the ; 
bed, which, though it may kill the spawn ?t‘'®f'in immediate 
contact with, it will most likely induce pi good crop to pre¬ 
sent themselves on the opposite side. '4’hesc ine.ahS’ being I 
adopted will, in most instances, increase a supply ; but it is 
certainly more likely to he so when tire-heat is applied ; 
and this m.ay ho done in many cases where, thoro is no 
regular mushroom house. A vacant corner or space in the 
neighbourhood of the stock holes, where tires are kept on 
constantly in forcing operations, may be made into an 
excellent mushroom bed, in which case, or in those niailo 
on the shelves of a house set apart entirely for this duly, a , 
much less <iuantity of dung is wanted. In fact, when ! 
