38 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 18, 1859. 
Mushroom-producing period slightly the reverse. Fogs at night 
and heavy dews are noted in the early part of September for 
bringing the Mushrooms out in the fields. In all these cases and 
conditions we must never cease to imitate such ; and this has led 
me in the present case to talk of principles rather than rules. 
Mixtures. —In former days, the old Mushroom growers about 
London who produced for the market used nothing but dung— 
no soil; but then their beds were those out-door ridges which 
were in the main an autumn and early winter affair. No sooner, 
however, did Oldaker show forth a Mushroom-house than Mush¬ 
room growing underwent a kind of revolution. People began to 
see that it was neither a matter of position, nor shape nor make 
in the beds; and that they might be grown readily in a garden 
pot or box, or, indeed, any vessel. Rut it was also discovered 
that the shelf affair, only permitting dung about seven inches in 
depth, was but a matter as to durability. This led people to 
mix loam or soil with their manure. Indeed, this is the way in 
which spawn is made; and I have always found that the more 
fibrous loam could be mixed with the dung the longer such 
spawn would preserve its vitality. Now, it is evident that the 
nearer a Mushroom-bed approaches a good spawn brick in con¬ 
sistence and solidity the better. And here I may observe that 
there is a trickery in spawn as in other things. It is the fashion 
now-a-days to use nearly all flaky dung : and why ? Because it 
dries quicker, is sooner in the market, and gives less trouble. But 
there is no comparison between this chaffy spawn and that made 
by a due admixture of loam or other soily material. The quickly- 
made spawn of dung will not endure the least steam in the dung 
of the bed : it will sometimes rot in three days, and this I think 
because dung is so rapidly absorbent as compared with sturdy 
loams. 
Should the Bed be loose ? —I have already pointed to the 
necessity for firmness in the beds; they cannot, indeed, be too 
firmly beaten. I therefore pass on to 
Spawning. —This, too, is half discussed in the foregoing, but 
a few words are necessary. The greatest danger to be appre¬ 
hended, admitting that the beds are right as to dung, &c., is from 
overheating. As soon as a bed is made, the holes for the spawn 
should be opened immediately. This prevents in some degree 
that co-operation of the fermenting particles which is apt to 
produce overheating. In all cases, when beds are made of fer¬ 
menting materials, the heat will rise gradually to what we may 
call a culminating point; and that, once attained, as gradual a 
descent takes place. This highest point should never exceed 80° 
if possible ; and when it has descended fairly to 65° or 70°, then, 
and not till then, may the spawn be introduced with safety. 
Under such circumstances good spawn in good dung will begin 
to spread in a week or so. If it does not spread quickly it is not 
quite in earnest; and the best way is, with a slight amount of 
jealousy, to open new holes and spawn the bed again. As for 
soiling, it is not so very material a point: two inches of good 
loam slightly adhesive are the best practice. If, however, any 
amateur cannot obtain the gardener’s fancy loam, let him not 
despair, but use some good fat garden soil; never mind what 
peculiar tint it is, only let the soil be pressed or beaten firmly. 
I may now indulge in a few remarks of a miscellaneous 
character bearing on the Mushroom in some shape. First, as to 
watering beds if very dry. It is no uncommon practice to 
sprinkle dung slightly before it is made into beds; but in this 
case the dung should lay in a body for a day or two previous to 
building the bed. I would never sprinkle it while building if 
possible. I have generally found it good practice to sprinkle the 
beds slightly with lukewarm water after they have been made 
about a month or five weeks ; in fact just before the Mushrooms 
are expected through. The soil generally becomes slightly husky, 
and a little water greatly facilitates the production of the Mush¬ 
room. But this is meant simply to moisten the soil: for bed or 
dung-moisture we must ever depend on the character of the dung 
at the time of making the bed. Sometimes it has happened 
that the dung has got too wet with rains : this is awkward. I 
have tried in this case a strong fomentation, but it seldom succeeds 
well as a drier of the dung ; for by the time the water is dissipated 
by heat, the manure is so decomposed as to be more fit to dig in 
for Celery than for Mushrooms. I have tried wrapping the 
lumps of spawn in dry strawey material in such cases, in order to 
protect it against excessive moisture; but here I have been 
astonished, years since, at finding the spawn as entire after a 
couple of months as when introduced, but yet unable to break 
through the strawey prison which becomes encrusted. 
Atmospheric Conditions in Mushroom-sheds or houses.— 
These are deserving particular notice. It is a well-known fact that 
Mushrooms will not endure very high temperatures in-doors, and, 
certainly, not aridity of air. I think 60° should ever be the 
maximum point; but anywhere between 50° and 60° is congenial 
to them. The air should be kept continually moist by water ap¬ 
plication while firing is used : in other cases more moderation 
may be used. Well, then, as to air-giving. It surely needs little 
argument to prove that they do not like a corrupt air, when we 
consider how boldly they spring forth at the end of August in 
our fields, where they have the comfort of a puff of wind oc¬ 
casionally : so that we may rely on it, they love fresh and sweet 
air. Indeed, it is this that completes their flavour. I am well 
assured that, however delicate and nice our artificially-grown 
Mushrooms may be, they will never make such rich catsup as 
those from the open fields. Those who grow them on the old- 
fashioned ridge beds, out of doors—a plan well adapted to produce 
up to the beginning of winter, should beware of the strawey 
covering. When the weather becomes severe in November, people 
are induced to lay on an extra covering, and this is apt to ferment. 
In so doing the surface of the bed will generally be clothed with 
a profusion of spawn instead of Mushrooms, and this rapidly 
lays hold of the strawey covering. I have known many a good 
bed spoiled in this way. The only cure for this matter is to 
place clean, dry straw next in contact with the bed: over that 
what you please. R. Errington. 
PASSION-FLOWER FOR A CONSERVATORY. 
I observe in your columns of this week (October 4th), a 
question as to the best Passion-Flow r er for a conservatory. If I 
may be permitted to give a practical opinion, I should recommend 
Imperatrice Eugenie. 
It flowers profusely, the flowers being sweet-scented, and of a 
delicate purple lilac, and very large. Its habit is luxuriant, and 
the foliage vei’y decided and large, somewhat like Buonapartea. 
My gardener thinks it the best Passion-Flower out.—C. M. 
Major. 
CIRCULAR BED OF ROSES. 
I wish to have a circular bed of Roses of Gloire de Rosamene. 
Can I have a white and pink to mix with it of the same habit ? 
I wish them on their own roots. There is an old-fasliioned Rose 
(pink) called The Four Seasons: w'ould this do for a pink ?— 
Kate. 
[There is not another kind of Rose, of any colour that we know, 
which has so much of the same habit as to associate with Gloire 
de Rosamene in a mixture of plant for plant in a Rose-bed in the 
flower garden. We understand perfectly well what you are aim¬ 
ing at; but then you have a lady’s eye which all the Rose- 
growers could not satisfy in the way you propose. Mrs. Bosan- 
quet is the nearest kind of Rose for what you want; an old, 
or three-year-old, plant of Mrs. Bosanquet, mixed with one- 
year-old Gloire de Rosamene, will be the nearest arrangement to 
that you wish. But the old-fashioned Four Seasons Rose will 
not do with any one of the Chinas, or hardly with a Bourbon; 
and it is not a pink Rose, nor a good Perpetual. It would have 
made a good bed when we first saw it in a mass five-and-thirty 
years ago ; and yet it ought now, for the “ fashions ” then were 
just the very same as they are at this season, the only difference 
being that servant maids could not then afiord to buy so much 
finery; and those who would bed The Four Seasons Rose now 
would be as much out of fashion by choice as their maids were 
then from compulsion. 
Those long white maggots you mentioned are terribly de¬ 
structive, and the simplest way to get at them is to stir the 
surface of the ground near to where they ravaged the night 
before, which will soon reveal the hidden mischief. We have 
thus killed hundreds this season of another destructive grub, 
which has the same habits. 
Another Rose-bed that would just please your eye, and others 
like it could be made thus :—A circle, or “lover’s knot ” shaped 
bed, to be three feet higher in the centre than at the sides. The 
outside to be level, and three feet across ; then a rise of eighteen 
inches, like a step in a staircase—say the first step. The top of 
this first step to be a bed eighteen inches wide; then another 
step of from fifteen to eighteen inches, and a top of not less than 
two feet across. The top and first step to be of two kinds of 
light Roses—say Fevoniensis at top and the Malmaison Rose on 
