THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
13 
They were partaken of almost anywhere, sometimes in 
the broad dining-room, but oftener on the terraces or in 
the lawns and gardens of the owner’s mansion. There 
was little of the stately etiquette of the dinner party, and 
the charming way in which they were enjoyed makes one 
feel inclined to grieve over their decadence. 
This beverage, which “cheers but does not intoxicate,” 
was dear to our ancestors, and we can admire the patriot¬ 
ism of those grand dames who sacrificed their favorite 
drink, rather than submit to the tyranny of British taxation. 
The consumption of the delicious herb is greater now than 
MUSHROOM 
T HE common meadow Mushroom is the only one, of 
all the edible varieties, adapted for culture, and with 
little care and management it can be grown with success 
almost anywhere and in all seasons. 
The chief conditions for obtaining a satisfactory result 
consist in growing Mushrooms in a very rich soil and in 
a genial, and as nearly as possible, even temperature. 
To secure the latter condition the culture is often carried 
Edible Mushroom (Agaricus Campestris). 
on in cellars, but any other locality, such as sheds, stables, 
etc., will answer as well, provided that either naturally or 
by artificial means the temperature does not exceed 
eighty-six degrees, nor fall below fifty Fahr. 
The first thing to be considered, after the choice of a 
convenient locality, is the preparation of the bed in which 
they are to be grown. The most essential material for it 
is horse droppings, preference being given to those of 
well-fed animals collected as dry and free from straw as 
possible. Mix with this one-fourth or one-fifth of its 
bulk of good garden soil to reduce its strength, for if 
used alone it would make too hot a fermenting material; 
but by adding the garden soil the fermentation will be slow 
and the heat produced moderate and even. Prepare the 
bed at once, make the sides firm and tidy, having care 
that the situation be a dry place. 
Some growers use the horse-dung by itself, and in that 
case it is necessary to allow the first heat to evaporate, 
at any previous age, and though the old-time tea-parties 
are out of date, the last meal of the day is generally recog¬ 
nized, in the country at least, by the name derived from 
the customary beverage indulged in on that occasion. 
And we would not wish it otherwise, but emphatically join 
issue with Colley Cibber, who, in “ The Ladies’ Last Stake,” 
exclaims: “Tea! thou soft, thou sober, sage, and vener¬ 
able liquid; thou female-tongue-running, smile-soothing, 
heart-opening, wink-tippling cordial, to whose glorious 
insipidity I owe the happiest moments of my life, let me 
fall prostrate.”' F. M. Colby. 
CULTURE. 
which is done by piling the droppings, as they come from 
the stable, in successive layers to the height of about 
three feet in a dry spot, removing all foreign matter from 
it and pressing it into a compact mass, sprinkling with 
water such portions as are very dry. In this state it 
should be left till the most violent fermentative action 
has passed, which is generally the case in six or ten days; 
the heap should then be re-made, taking care that those 
portions which were outside and consequently less fer¬ 
mented, are placed inside , to insure an equal temperature, 
and it should be well mixed and firmly placed so that the 
whole may be of a similar texture. Generally a few days 
after being re-made the fermentation is so strong as to 
render it necessary to be made up a third time, but some¬ 
times after the second operation it is ready for making 
into beds. This can be seen, when the heating material 
has become brown, the straw which is mixed with it has 
lost almost entirely its consistence, when it has become 
greasy, and the smell is no longer the same as when fresh. 
It is difficult to obtain a good material without preparing 
a heap of at least three feet each way, and if that quantity 
Small Movable Beds against a Wall. 
is not required for making the beds the surplus may with 
advantage be used in the kitchen-garden. 
Having prepared the material for the beds it can now 
be brought to the place where they are to be made. Ex- 
