FEBRUARY. 
23 
no difficulty in finding suitable places for making beds—those for midwinter 
work I make in the warmest shed, in which there are two fireplaces, but at a 
considerable distance from the beds, so that I can keep up the temperature of 
the shed pretty easily without dunging the beds too much. The following is 
the mode of culture that I adopt; I am not aware that there is anything new 
in it—on the contrary, it may be as old as the hills for anything I know; it 
is, however, invariably attended with the most satisfactory results :—I have the 
horse-droppings brought every morning from the stables and spread out in a 
shed; they are not allowed to heat, nor to get over-dry. When there is a suffi¬ 
cient quantity for a bed I have it made as follows :—5 or 6 inches of droppings 
are spread on the floor the length and width of the intended bed, and a barrow¬ 
ful or two of maiden loam mixed in among them. The whole is then well 
trodden all over. I may here remark that the loam should neither be too dry 
nor too wet, it should be nearly in the same condition as soil that is fit for 
potting plants ; I may also remark that the droppings should also be in the same 
condition. When the whole has been made tolerably firm by treading, a few 
inches more of droppings are placed on it, mixing some loam with them ; this 
also is made firm by treading or beating; a fresh layer of droppings with loam 
mixed is added and made firm, and fresh additions are made until the bed 
is of the required depth, which is, for autumn work, from 18 to 20 inches; 
for winter, from 2 to 3 feet. The surface of the bed is made level, and a few 
pointed sticks are then thrust into it. If the materials have been in a fit con¬ 
dition and plenty of loam used, the beds rarely ever heat to an excessive degree. 
In general I have them spawned a week or at most ten days after they are 
made, and immediately afterwards I have them earthed up with good loam. 
Of course such beds are made under my personal superintendence. When the 
droppings have been fit, I have made beds, and spawned and earthed them 
all in one day, and with the most satisfactory results. Indeed, I have a bed 
which has been in bearing for several weeks past, that was made, spawned, 
and earthed up on the last day of September. Of course I do not recommend 
this plan for general adoption, I merely mention it to show that Mushrooms 
can be grown in abundance on beds made, spawned, and earthed up on the 
same day, when the materials are in a proper condition. 
By using plenty of loam there is no fear of the droppings heating too much, 
and there is a gain of ten days or a fortnight, -which is a matter of some im¬ 
portance occasionally, when Mushrooms may be wanted by a certain day, and the 
making of the beds has, from a pressure of other work or various causes, been 
put off ten days or a fortnight too long. I put the spawn in about 10 inches 
apart every way all over the beds, using pieces a little larger than a hen’s egg. 
Smaller bits will do, but I think the larger size the safer, as in case the beds 
heat a little too much they will not suffer injury to the extent that small 
pieces may. The spawn in the latter may all be destroyed by a little extra 
heat; but if the pieces be tolerably large, it seldom happens that the spawn in 
the centre is all destroyed unless in cases of very great heat, which will rarely 
occur in beds made as mine are, with the droppings not too moist and plenty of 
loam mixed with them. 
About six weeks after the beds are spawned and earthed up I have plenty 
of Mushrooms. Sometimeslhey will come a few days sooner, and at other times 
they are a few days longer. After the heat begins to 'decline I always keep 
the beds covered with dry hay, regulating the thickness of the covering ac¬ 
cording to the heat of the bed, the temperature of the shed, and the weather. 
By this means, and by paying some attention to the condition of the loam 
used in mixing with the droppings, also to that used for covering the beds, I 
very seldom have recourse to watering these. I have very little trouble with 
