6 
JOURNAL  l OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  7,  1897. 
state.  After  the  last  beds  are  made  up  in  January  all  the  manure 
that  comes  to  hand  should  be  placed  in  a  heap,  and  kept  in 
the  open  air  until  required  the  following  autumn,  only  the  long 
litter  being  shaken  out,  which  will  keep  in  better  condition  if 
placed  under  cover,  as  it  will  be  required  for  covering  the  beds 
after  they  are  made.  The  manure  after  being  in  a  heap  for  six 
months  will  become  very  dry,  as  it  should  be  stacked  so  as  to 
throw  the  water  off.  It  will  be  little  the  worse  for  this,  as 
after  it  has  been  turned  over  and  shaken  out,  well  moistened, 
and  carefully  turned  three  times  a  week,  decomposition  will  be  rapid  ; 
if  the  work  have  been  properly  done  the  material  will  be  in  a 
suitable  condition  for  growing  Mushrooms.  If  the  manure  that  is 
obtained  during  the  autumn  is  placed  in  a  heap  in  the  open  air 
no  water  will  be  required,  as  there  in  then  a  danger  of  it  becoming 
too  wet  from  the  excessive  moisture  at  that  season. 
Leaves,  if  used  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  to  three  parts 
of  manure,  are  of  great  assistance,  not  only  in  the  saving  of 
manure,  but  in  keeping  up  a  steady  heat  in  beds  that  are  made 
at  midwinter.  Oak  and  Beech  leaves  are  the  best  for  that  pur¬ 
pose,  and  should  be  well  incorporated  with  the  manure  during  its 
preparation. 
Making  the  Beds. 
The  ridge  system  is  preferred  to  any  other,  and  there  is  no 
advantage  is  making  them  too  large,  as  a  much  larger  quantity  of 
manure  is  required,  without  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  crop 
of  Mushrooms.  I  have  experimented  with  various  sized  beds,  but 
have  now  come  back  to  the  size  I  originally  commenced  with — 
namely,  2|  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  feet  in  height,  and  6  inches 
wide  at  the  top  when  finished  off.  Beds  of  this  size  will  retain 
sufficient  heat  to  grow  a  heavy  crop  of  Mushrooms,  and  that  is  all 
that  is  required.  Although  residing  in  a  northern  county,  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  recommending  the  above  sized  ridges  in  preference 
to  larger  ones.  The  beds  should  be  made  as  firmly  as  possible  by 
treading,  and  beating  the  sides  with  forks  as  the  work  progresses. 
Men  soon  become  experts  at  the  business,  and  when  they  take  a 
pride  in  their  work  will  with  a  little  practice  build  the  ridges  as 
true  in  outline  as  the  roof  of  a  house. 
Covering  and  Spawning  the  Beds. 
This  should  not  be  delayed,  but  they  should  be  at  once  covered 
with  a  few  inches  of  the  long  litter  that  was  previously  shaken  out 
of  the  manure.  It  is  advisable  to  leave  the  top  of  the  ridge  clear, 
so  as  to  allow  the  steam  to  readily  escape.  If  the  manure  have  been 
properly  prepared  and  the  beds  well  made  they  will  be  ready  for 
■pawning  in  ten  days.  This  can  be  ascertained  by  placing  a 
thermometer  in  the  manure.  In  a  few  days  after  the  bed  is  made 
up  it  will  probably  register  100°,  more  or  less  ;  after  it  has  fallen 
to  80°  it  is  safe  to  insert  the  spawn.  If  there  is  any  doubt  in  the 
matter  it  is  better  to  wait  a  day  or  two  than  to  do  so  an  hour 
too  soon.  I  am  convinced  there  is  more  harm  done  in  being  in  too 
much  haste  in  spawning  the  beds  than  in  allowing  them  to  become 
too  cold.  The  spawn  is  then  blamed,  whereas  the  cultivator  is  at 
fault.  The  mycelium  being  very  delicate  is  destroyed  within  a 
few  hours  after  being  inserted  in  the  manure  if  the  heat  is  at  all 
excessive.  I  had  a  practical  illustration  of  this  a  few  years  ago. 
Having  obtained  some  manure  solely  from  entire  horses  it  was 
kept  separate,  and  placed  at  one  end  of  a  ridge,  spawn  being 
inserted  in  due  course,  at  the  same  time  the  remainder  of  the  bed 
was  done.  A  thermometer  was  placed  on  the  surface  of  the  ridge, 
but  not  at  the  end  where  the  entire  horse  manure  was  used,  until 
suspicion  was  aroused.  On  the  third  day  after  spawning  a  thermo¬ 
meter  placed  on  the  surface  at  the  end  of  bed  registered  90°,  the 
remainder  of  the  bed  being  only  60°.  The  latter  did  remarkably 
well,  but  the  former  was  a  failure,  clearly  showing  that  the  spawn 
was  destroyed  in  its  early  stages.  A  cake  of  spawn  should  be 
divided  into  eight  parts,  and  be  inserted  about  9  inches  asunder, 
slightly  covering  it  with  manure,  which  should  be  made  quite  firm. 
Casing  the  Beds. 
Some  growers  delay  the  casing  of  the  beds  with  soil  for  a  few 
days  until  the  spawn  has  commenced  running.  I  cannot  see  any 
benefit  in  this,  while  it  is  an  advantage  at  this  season  to  retain 
the  heat  in  the  beds  as  long  as  possible.  I  therefore  always  case 
the  beds  with  soil  as  soon  as  they  are  spawned,  using  good  loam 
that  has  been  stacked  for  a  few  months,  chopping  it  fine,  and  if  dry 
water  is  added.  The  beds  are  covered  with  about  2  inches  of  soil, 
placing  it  evenly  and  firmly  over  the  surface.  This  requires  a 
little  practice  ;  never  having  seen  it  applied  to  ridges  we  had  a 
difficulty  at  the  first,  but  soon  found  out  how  it  was  done,  and  now 
it  gives  us  no  trouble. 
Protecting  the  Beds. 
The  ridges  must  be  well  covered  with  litter  or  straw.  At  the 
present  time  ours  are  covered  up  warmly  with  litter  about  a  foot 
in  thickness  ;  some  are  thatched,  and  as  the  thatch  is  machine- 
made  it  is  easily  rolled  off  and  replaced  when  necessary.  Others 
have  waterproof  coverings.  The  only  objection  I  have  to  them  is 
that  the  moisture  condenses  under  them,  which  causes  the  litter  to 
decay  more  rapidly  than  it  otherwise  would,  and  as  straw  is  now 
an  expensive  item  it  is  an  advantage  to  roll  off  the  coverings 
during  fine  weather. 
Mushrooms  appear  in  from  six  to  twelve  weeks  after  spawning, 
according  to  the  temperature  of  the  beds. — S.,  Yorks. 
THOUGHTS  ABOUT  FRUIT  GROWING. 
So  much  has  been  written  on  the  subject  of  fruit  culture 
during  recent  years,  and  capable  men  have  been  hammering  away 
on  the  importance  of  better  methods  and  closer  attention  to  detail 
in  regard  to  the  production  and  distribution  of  home-grown  fruit, 
that  we  look  round  to  see  what  results  have  been  the  outcome  of 
this  action.  The  question  naturally  arises,  Who  are  the  principal 
fruit  growers  of  this  country  ?  Some  may  answer  gardeners,  and 
certainly  they  comprise  a  large  proportion,  but  should  be  classed 
rather  in  a  professional  than  in  a  commercial  sense.  Fruit  growing 
is  part  and  parcel  of  the  gardener’s  occupation — often  his  pet 
hobby  ;  he  has  a  reputation  to  maintain  in  that  respect,  and  it  is 
therefore  to  his  interest  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  best 
varieties,  the  most  efficient  methods  of  cultivation,  and  so  forth, 
in  order  that  he  may  win  honours  for  himself  at  the  exhibition 
table  or  receive  approbation  from  the  dining-room — both  objects 
being  worthy  of  his  best  efforts.  High  quality  is  the  end  in  view, 
and  this  no  doubt  is  responsible  for  the  fact  that  hardy  fruit — 
Apples,  for  instance — grown  in  private  gardens  or  nurseries,  where 
they  are  made  a  speciality,  are  so  much  superior  to  the  generality 
of  fruit  sold  in  the  markets. 
Take  for  instance  the  great  fruit  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace. 
Mark  the  excellence  in  size,  form,  and  colour  of  the  hundreds  of 
dishes  exhibited.  Who  will  say  that  such  fruit  is  not  equal  in 
quality  to  the  best  of  any  other  country  ?  Ask  where  they  are 
grown,  and  you  will  find  that  almost  without  exception  fruit 
nurseries  and  private  gardens  are  responsible  for  the  whole. 
Tarry  awhile  till  the  great  show  closes,  and  watch  the  anxious 
almost  greedy  crowd  pressing  round  the  tables  to  buy,  and  the 
greatest  difficulty  an  exhibitor  experiences  who  wants  to  take  hi« 
fruit  home  is  to  keep  them  from  buying.  Most  of  the  purchasers 
know  little  about  fruit,  yet  sufficient  to  tell  them  that  the  show 
fruits  are  cheap  at  any  price  compared  with  the  inferior  specimens 
that  are  expected  to  help  to  pay  the  rent  of  a  still  greater  clas*  of 
fruit  growers — English  farmers. 
This  brings  us  to  the  point,  Why  do  writers  hammer  away  on 
the  subject  of  fruit  culture  ?  why  do  practical  men  demonstrate  ? 
and  why  do  corporate  bodies  use  all  the  means  at  hand  to  teach 
better  and  sounder  principles  ?  Is  it  to  instruct  gardeners  and 
those  who  exhibit  at  such  shows  as  the  one  in  question  in  work  in 
which  they  are  already  competent  ?  No,  certainly  not ;  but  rather 
it  is  for  the  benefit  of  a  class  who  rarely  attend,  and  never  exhibit, 
at  shows  in  work  which  is  of  such  great  moment  to  the  future  of 
laud  cultivation.  Why  fruit  culture  should  be  considered  of  such 
minor  importance  to  the  average  farmer  it  is  difficult  to  say.  He 
will  tell  you  that  it  doesn’t  pay  •,  he  can’t  sell  his  Apples  in  the  face 
of  American  produce,  and  it’s  no  good  bothering  with  them.  But 
question  him  further  to  get  at  the  root  of  the  matter.  You  will 
probably  find  him  conversant  on  the  subject  of  stock  breeding  and 
rearing,  dairying,  and  the  management  of  root  crops,  but  in  the 
orchard  he  is  quite  at  sea.  The  trees  are  there  of  course,  but  he 
does  not  know  who  planted  them,  varieties  do  not  trouble  him,  he 
knows  one  or  two  by  local  names,  and  is  surprised  to  hear  that 
the  trees  being  covered  with  moss  and  lichen  growth  is  detri¬ 
mental  to  their  welfare.  Need  we  wonder  then  that  foreign  trade 
prospers,  and  our  own  declines,  when  conservatism  and  lethargy 
are  so  apparent  ? 
Whether  Britain  will  ever  again  be  classed  as  a  fruit-growing 
country  is  an  open  question.  Possibilities, there  are  no  doubt,  but 
it  is  questionable  whether  the  men  are  forthcoming  from  the 
present  generation.  To  persuade  the  farmer  to  give  up  his 
dairying  and  his  root  growing,  and  go  in  for  fruit  culture,  would 
be  a  foolish  policy  ;  but  to  class  this  industry  as  an  important 
section  of  his  occupation  is  another  matter,  for  it  is  as  an  adjunct  to 
other  crops  that  fruit  culture  on  proper  lines  would  prove  the  moat 
profitable  to  the  farmer.  “Never  have  all  your  eggs  in  one 
basket  ”  is  an  old  saying,  which  is  every  sense  applicable. 
No  body  has  done  more  to  help  forward  the  movement  for 
better  and  more  systematic  methods  of  fruit  culture  than  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society.  A  visit  to  the  Crystal  Palace  show  proves 
the  appreciation  of  its  efforts,  but  only  in  one  direction — viz., 
professional  gardeners  and  nurserymen.  Could  not  our  Society, 
