150 
MUSHROOMS, HOW TO GROW THEM. 
mines are adopted. To stop strong draughts, too, in 
the passages, tall, straw-thatched hurdles are set up. 
In narrow caves the breath of the workmen, the gases 
given off by fermentation, and the products of combus¬ 
tion of the lamps would soon so vitiate the atmosphere 
as to render the eaves uninhabitable were they nob prop¬ 
erly ventilated. Indeed, it frequently occurs that caves 
in which mushrooms have been grown continuously for 
some years have to be abandoned for a year or two be¬ 
cause the crop has ceased to prosper in them. Bnt after 
they have been thoroughly cleared of all beds and the 
surface soil that would have been likely to be touched 
or affected by the manure, and ventilated and rested for 
a year or two, mushrooms can again be grown in them 
successfully. 
CHAPTER XXII. 
COOKINU MUSHROOMS. 
Fresh mushrooms, well cooked and well served, are 
one of the most delicious of all vegetables. If we grow 
our own mushrooms we can gather them in their finest 
form, cook them as we please, and enjoy them in their 
most delightful condition. If we are dependent upon 
the fields we should be careful to gather only such mush¬ 
rooms as are young, plump, and fresh, and reject all 
that are old or discolored, or betray any signs of the 
presence of disease or insects. And in the case of store 
mushrooms, that is, the ones we get at the fruiterer’s or 
other provision store, we should examine them critically 
before using them to see that they are perfectly free 
from “flock,” “black spot,” “maggots,” or other ail¬ 
ment, and discard all that have any symptoms of disease. 
