GROWING MUSHROOMS IN RIDGES. 
139 
Brick spawn is always used. Some of those who 
make a specialty of mushrooms also make spawn for 
sale as well as for their own use; hut the majority of 
the gardeners prefer to buy rather than make their own 
spawn. 
When the heat has fallen to between 80° and 90° the 
ridges are spawned, the pieces inserted in three rows 
along each side, leaving about nine inches between the 
pieces. A dibber should not be used on any account. 
The spawn is put in tightly with the hand and the ma¬ 
nure pressed down. It should be put in level with the 
face of the bed, so that the mold may just touch it when 
the bed is cased. In the event of cold or wet weather, 
just as soon as the beds are spawned a slight covering of 
rank litter is laid over them. After a few days this is 
removed and the beds are molded over with mold from 
ground to which manure has not been applied for some 
time. But the general market gardeners do not make 
this distinction; they use the earth from between the 
ridges, which has been manured regularly every year for 
a couple of hundred years or more. The mold is put 
on evenly with the spade and is about two inches thick 
at the base of the ridge and one inch thick at top, and 
well firmed by beating with the back of the spade; 
indeed, the ridges are now commonly watered through 
a water-pot rose, again beaten very firmly and the sur¬ 
face left smooth and even. This smooth surface readily 
sheds rain water, but I question if it has any advantage 
over a well-firmed unglazed surface. After molding the 
beds are covered with litter, that is, the rankest straw 
that had been shaken out of the manure, to a depth of 
four, six, eight, or ten inches, according to the state of 
the bed and weather; if the bed is inclined to be cool 
or if the weather is cold, thicken the covering. 
Drenching or long drizzling rains are more injuriouf 
to the beds than is cold, and in order to ward them of 
