CHAPTER VII. 
MANURE FOR MUSHROOM BEDS. 
In order to grow mushrooms successfully and profitably 
a supply of fresh horse manure is needed, and this should 
be the very best that is made, either at home or bought 
from other stables. The questions of manure and spawn 
are the most important that we have to deal with. 
Very few make their own spawn, as it is bought and ac¬ 
cepted upon its good looks,—often rather deceptive,—but 
the manure business is entirely in our own hands, and 
success with it depends absolutely upon ourselves. We 
can not reasonably expect good results from poor manure 
nor from ill-prepared manure. It is only from the very 
best of horse manure prepared in the very best fashion 
that we can hope for the very best crops of the best 
mushrooms. 
Horse Manure.—There are various kinds of horse 
manure, differing materially in their worth for mush¬ 
room beds. The kind of manure depends upon the con¬ 
dition of the horses, how they are housed, fed, and 
bedded, and how the manure is taken care of. But 
while the manure of all healthy animals is useful for our 
purpose, there still is a great choice in horse manure. 
If we are dependent upon our home supply we may use 
and make the best of what we have, but if we have to 
buy the manure we should be very particular to select 
the best kind of manure and accept of no other. 
The very best manure is that from strong, healthy, 
hard-worked, well-kept animals that are liberally fed 
with hard food, as timothy hay and grain, and bedded 
with straw. And if the bedding be pretty well wetted 
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