November  23,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
443 
late  variety  most  highly  coloured  ripen  soonest.  It  does  seem  as  if 
the  creation  of  the  colouration  absorbed  some  of  the  richer  -juices 
from  the  fruits,  and  left  the  fledi  more  resembling  the  texture  of  that 
ot  the  high-coloured  American  Apples. — A.  D. 
THE  CULTURE  OF  MUSHROOMS. 
A  supply  of  Mushrooms  is  always  appreciated,  especially  in  the 
winter  and  spring  months,  when  they  cannot  be  obtained  from  fields 
and  pastures.  Mushrooms  form  a  wholesome  and  nourishing  dish  and 
are  not  difficult  to  grow,  provided  a  suitable  structure  is  available 
where  the  manure  may  be  prepared  and  the  beds  formed.  Mush¬ 
rooms  can  be  grown  in  an  unheated  shed  or  outbuilding,  but  it  is  a 
great  convenience  if  one  or  two  beds  can  be  formed  in  a  slightly 
heated  structure,  so  that  a  supply  n,ay  be  insured  during  the  coldest 
weather  when  the  other  beds  are  not  in  bearing.  The  beds  are  not 
productive  below  a  certain  temperature,  and  a  spell  of  cold  weather 
will  arrest  the  development  of  the  Mushrooms. 
Horse  droppings  intermixed  with  a  little  short  straw  are  the  chief 
materials  for  forming  beds,  and  the  collection  and  preparation  of  the 
manure  are  the  largest  items  in  the  cultivation  of  the  nutritious 
•esculent,  I  he  horse  manure  should  be  obtained  from  stables  where 
the  animals  are  fed  exclusively  on  hard  food,  such  as  corn  and  hay,  as 
this  is  the  best  for  the  Mushroom  cultivator.  In  collecting  the 
manure,  if  it  is  not  possible  to  obtain  a  good  bulk  in  a  few  days,  the 
manure  as  it  is  brought  in  should  be  spread  thinly  to  prevent  undue 
heating,  ami  be  turned  occasionally  lor  maintaining  it  sweet  and 
tresh.  When  enough  manure  is  obtained  it  ought  to  be  thrown 
together  in  a  heap  for  the  purpose  of  heating.  A  fair  sized  bed  will 
be  8  feet  by  4.  Four  feet  is  a  convenient  width,  but  beds  may  be 
made  any  length,  and  the  depth  should  be  a  foot. 
The  manure,  having  been  thrown  together  in  a  conical  heap,  may 
lie  there  tor  two  or  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  it  will  in  the 
centre  be  found  to  be  very  hot.  The  heap  must  then  be  completely 
turned,  placing  the  outside  in  the  centre,  and  the  centre  outside.  This 
will  give  the  whole  of  the  manure  a  chance  of  undergoing  fermen¬ 
tation,  which  is  necessary  in  order  that  the  fierce  heat  may  be  drawn 
out.  Carry  out  this  interchanging  process  several  times  at  intervals 
of  two  or  three  days.  The  manure  will  then  be  in  a  fit  condition  for 
building  a  bed.  Its  condition  should  be  sweet  and  moist.  This  can 
be  ascertained  by  taking  up  a  little  of  the  manure  and  squeezing  it. 
If  in  the  right  condition  as  regards  moisture,  it  will  press  closely 
together  on  being  squeezed,  but  when  the  pressure  of  the  hand  is 
removed  fall  apart  again,  in  fact  no  moisture  can  be  pressed  out 
-of  it.  1 
In  the  formation  of  the  bed,  the  manure  should  be  placed  in  layers 
oach  trodden  firmly  down.  If  the  bed  is  made  a  foot  in  thickness  this 
will  be  ample.  The  question,  When  is  the  best  time  to  insert  the 
spawn  .  is  now  a  matter  for  consideration.  In  many  cases  it  may  be 
inserted  immediately  the  bed  is  formed.  It  might  happen,  however, 
that  the  heat  of  the  bed  would  rise  and  thus  destroy  it,  but  this  is  not 
so  likely  to  occur  if  the  material  is  placed  together  firmly.  The 
temperature  most  suitable  for  the  insertion  of  the  spawn  is  8*5°,  and 
should  the  heat  be  likely  to  rise  after  the  bed  is  built,  it  is  best  to 
wait  until  the  temperature  has  fallen  to  about  90°  before  inserting 
dbe  spawn. 
Good  brick  spawn  must  be  chosen  in  which  the  white  thread-like 
mycelium  can  be  seen  running  in  various  directions  through  the  cake. 
This  is  good  and  active  spawn,  which  will  soon  permeate  into  the 
manure.  Break  each  brick  into  pieces  not  less  than  the  size  of  large 
Walnuts,  and  bury  just  below  the  surface.  Press  the  manure  well 
round  each  piece,  making  the  surface  level’and  firm.  An  inch  of  good 
loam  may  then  be  spread  over  the  bed,  levelled  and  made  smooth  with 
the  back  of  spade.  Even  moisture  of  the  soil  should  be  maintained, 
and  this  can  best  be  accomplished  by  covering  the  bed  with  damj) 
-straw  or  hay,  which  will  prevent  evaporation  and  exclude  light. 
In  a  month  or  six  weeks  the  first  Mushrooms  will  appear,  and 
the  bed  under  favourable  conditions  will  continue  to  be  productive  for 
some  time.  As  the  soil  on  the  surface  becomes  dry,  a  gentle  waterin0, 
with  tepid  water  maintains  the  requisite  moisture,  but  the  bed  ough^ 
to  be  re-covered  with  hay.  After  being  productive  for  a  satisfac¬ 
tory  period  and  there  are  signs  of  a  decrease,  a  little  salt  in  the  water 
when  again  moistening  the  bed  assists  the  further  production  of 
'Mushrooms.  Should  the  manure  prepared  be  rather  wetter  than 
desirable,  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  add  a  proportion  of  strawy  litter 
of  a  short  character,  or  dry  loamy  soil,  which  will  keep  the  material 
from  binding  too  closely,  thus  promoting  a  proper  fermentation.  To 
insure  a  continuous  supply  of  Mushrooms  a  bed  ought  to  be  made  and 
•spawned  every  month. 
Where  plenty  of  manure  is  at  command  in  a  suitable  condition  the 
•culture  of  Mushrooms  entirely  outdoors  is  not  a  difficult  matter.  To 
form,  however,  a  fairly  profitable  outdoor  bed,  two  cartloads  of  manure 
■ought  to  be  employed.  An  outdoor  bed  is  best  made  on  the  ridge 
system,  as  this  form  insures  a  bed  that  will  prove  to  be  successful. 
The  method  of  preparing  the  manure  is  the  same  as  for  beds  indoors, 
but  if  the  manure  is  dealt  with  outdoors  it  must  be  covered  from  wet. 
For  this  purpose  there  is  nothing  better  than  corrugated  iron  sheeting, 
which  is  in  portable  lengths  and  readily  placed  on  and  off.  An  open 
shed  is  very  convenient,  but  not  always  available  for  the  preparation. 
Comparatively  fresh  manure  is  obtainable  at  tramway  or  ’bus  stables, 
and  often  needs  little  if  any  preparation,  but  may  be  built  into  a  bed  at 
once. 
In  forming  a  bed  on  the  ridge  system  mark  out  a  space  3  feet  wide, 
the  length  may  be  any  distance  according  to  the  amount  of  manure. 
Spread  the  manure  within  the  space  marked,  and  gradually  build  up 
to  the  height  of  feet,  making  the  manure  firm  with  the  fork  as  it 
is  placed  on  in  layers.  The  bed  when  finished  may  be  of  a  convex 
shaped  top.  The  spawn  is  inserted  about  2  inches  deep,  and  the  same 
distance  apart  all  over  the  bed,  after  which  the  soil  is  placed  on  in 
rather  a  damp  state,  so  that  it  will  adhere  closely  all  over  when  patted 
down  flat  with  the  spade.  Cover  the  bed  as  soon  as  made  with  a 
good  thickness  of  litter.  This  excludes  wet  and  retains  moisture  and 
warmth. 
During  extra  cold  weather  additional  covering  may  be  placed  on. 
The  extension  of  the  beds  can  be  made  whenever  sufficient  manure  is 
available  for  forming  a  substantial  addition. — E.  D.  S. 
PREPARING  SOIL  FOR  VEGETABLES. 
Onions. 
The  crop  of  Onions  is  regarded  as  a  very  important  one  by  the 
majoritv  of  gardeners  and  all  who  grow  vegetables.  No  trouble  is 
considered  too  much  in  the  preparation  of  the  soil  and  the  aldition  of 
material  enriching  the  ground.  The  present  time  is  undoubtedly  the 
best  season  for  the  preliminary  work  in  the  cultivation  of  the  Onion 
crop,  whether  the  soil  be  of  a  1  ght  or  a  heavy  character.  The  chief 
operation,  which  improves  all  kinds  of  soils,  is  increasing  the  depth  by 
loosening  the  bottom  spit  or  subsoil.  In  gardens  where  deep  cultiva¬ 
tion  has  been  practised  more  or  less  for  some  years  the  best  course  to 
pursue  in  the  treatment  of  the  soil  is  to  trench  the  grouud  intended  for 
the  Onion  crop. 
There  are  two  methods  of  trenching.  One  is  ordinary  trenching, 
bv  which  two  spits  of  soil  are  reversed  in  position,  the  top  spit  being 
placed  in  the  bottom  of  a  trench  first  prepared,  and  the  second  spit  on 
top  of  the  first.  This  acts  well  when  the  soil  is  good  to  the  depth, 
indicated,  but  it  is  frequently  the  case  that  the  bottom  spit  or  subsoil 
is  not  of  a  suitable  character.  Recourse  must  then  be  had  to  the 
other  method  of  trenching,  known  as  bastard  trenching.  The  two 
spits  of  soil  are  moved  and  well  broken  up,  but  they  are  not  altered  in 
position,  the  top  spit  still  remaining  the  top  layer.  The  second  spit 
should  be  well  manured  with  rich  manure,  vegetable  matter,  or 
anything  that  will  improve  it.  Apart  from  manuring,  deep  cultiva¬ 
tion  is  an  important  factor  in  the  cultivation  of  the  Onion,  because  the 
roots  go  a  long  way  down  in  the  soil  in  the  search  of  moisture  in 
dry  periods,  and  they  are  more  likely  to  obtain  it  in  soil  which  has 
undergone  some  preparation  by  which  roots  can  enter  freely. 
For  rich  kitchen  garden  soil,  full  of  humic  matter  produced  by 
free  manuring  during  a  number  of  years,  the  soil  will  be  materially 
improved  by  ordinary  trenching,  but  for  soil  which  has  only  been 
treated  in  a  shallow  manner  the  best  method  is  to  bastard  trench, 
treating  the  bottom  spit  very  liberally,  and  also  well  breaking  up  the 
top. 
Heavy  soil  may  be  left  rather  rough  for  the  frost  and  wind  to  act 
upon  it  during  the  tune  intervening  between  now  and  the  sowing  or 
planting  period.  Frost  and  drying  winds  have  an  ameliorating  and 
pulverising  effect  on  the  soil  particles,  causing  them  to  fall  into  a 
powdery  state  which  cannot  fail  to  be  of  great  advantage  to  the 
growth  of  the  seed  or  the  plants.  Having  said  so  much  about  the 
importance  of  deep  culture  and  the  benefit  derived  by  the  crop,  it  is 
advisable  to  refer  to  the  employment  of  manure  in  enriching  the  bulk. 
Strong  manures,  such  as  pig  manure,  fowl  manure,  and  cow  manure, 
may  be  applied  now  and  well  worked  into  the  soil,  or  placed  between 
the  two  spits.  The  top  spit  will  require  working  over  again  in 
February  before  sowing,  when  a  dressing  of  some  art'ficial  manure  may¬ 
be  applied.  Superphosphate  and  kainit  may  be  scattered  on  the  soil 
about  a  fortnight  before  sowing,  also  soot  and  salt  with  burnt  refuse 
or  wood  ashes  are  found  serviceable,  well  working  these  into  the  soil. 
Further  dressings  of  chemica  manures  can  be  applied  during  growth, 
also  liquid  manures.  Light  dressings  of  soot  are  beneficial  to  Onions, 
stimulating  growth  and  keeping  away  many  enemies. 
Serviceable  crops  of  Onions  may  be  grown  without  elaborate 
manuring,  but  heavy  crops  of  fine  bulbs  cannot  be  obtained  without  a 
moist,  rich,  deep  soil.  The  large  bulbs  for  exhibition  are  grown 
on  ground  well  prepared  and  enriched,  but  the  seed  is  usually  sown  in 
b  >xes  in  Januuy  and  the  young  Onions  transplanted. — E.  Barrow. 
