142 
MUSHROOMS, HOW TO GROW THEM. 
I never knew of a single instance in which any attempt 
was made to renovate an old or worn-out bed. But 
when the beds become so dry as to need watering a small 
handful of salt is dissolved in a large pailful of water 
and with this solution the beds are freely watered over 
the straw covering, but never, to my knowledge, under it. 
My old friends, George Steele and Mr. Bagley, of 
Pulliam Fields, used to run part of their beds east and 
west, not only for convenience sake so far as the beds 
themselves were concerned, but with the view of growing 
early tomatoes against the south side of these beds in 
summer, and here they got their finest and earliest crops, 
for the London gardeners can not grow tomatoes out of 
doors in the open fields as we can in America. Other 
gardeners clear away the manure for use elsewhere in 
their fields, and as it is so well rotted it is in capital 
condition for cauliflower, lettuces, snap beans, and other 
crops. But as the mushroom growers who restrict them¬ 
selves entirely to mushrooms, and who, after the mush¬ 
room beds have finished bearing, have no further use for 
the manure in the spent beds, are always able to dispose 
of it at one-half the cost price. It is excellent for gar¬ 
den crops and as a topdressing for lawns, on account o£ 
its fineness and freedom from all rubbish as sticks, stones, 
old bottles, old shoes, and the like, is in much demand. 
