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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  9,  1900. 
llliislirooms. 
Success  in  the  cultivation  of  these  much-esteemed  edibles  depends 
in  the  first  place  upon  the  spawn,  it  being  absolutely  indispensable  to 
have  it  of  the  very  best  description  in  an  active  state,  and  such  being 
the  case  it  is  well  to  test  its  quality  when  it  comes  to  hand  by  making 
up  a  small  bed  or  a  box  so  that  it  may  with  safety  be  used  for  spawning 
a  large  bed,  from  which  the  supplies  aie  to  be  drawn  for  a  considerable 
time.  If  this  were  done  much  disappointment  would  be  avoided,  as 
there  is  nothing  so  aggravating  as  to  make  up  a  bed  and  after  waiting 
weeks  or  months  find  that  it  is  merely  a  waste  of  material,  time,  and 
labour. 
When  the  spawn  is  received  it  should  be  stored  where  it  will  keep 
well.  To  insure  this  one  must  select  a  moderately  dry  place,  with  a 
temperature  of  about  50°,  packing  it  closely  together  until  it  is  wanted 
for  use,  when  it  will  have  to  be  broken  into  pieces  about  2  inches  m 
diameter,  and  only  those  pieces  which  contain  spawn  in  a  proper  state 
should  be  used  in  the  beds.  If  the  spawn  were  given  this  scrutiny 
and  treatment  failures  would  be  avoided  to  a  very  great  extent; 
indeed  I  am  persuaded  that  more  failures  in  Mushroom  growing  are 
attributable  to  using  spawn  in  a  weak  or  inert  condition  than  to 
any  other  cause.  The  spawn  may  have  been  too  highly  developed 
in  the  bricks  and  is  simply  spent,  instead  of  being  a  mass  of  small 
threads  as  large  as  fine  cotton,  and  the  white  mouldiness  almost 
absent.  It  is  of  no  use  at  all  in  that  state,  as  it  contains  no  active 
germs  to  develop  as  mycelium. 
Tho  Advantage  of  Fresh  Spawn. 
Spawn  is  also  spoiled  after  being  received  through  being  kept  too 
moist  and  too  warm  so  as  to  cause  the  development  of  the  mycelium, 
consequently  it  is  spent  in  the  bricks  before  it  is  inserted  in  the  beds; 
therefore  it  should  be  kept  dry  and  cool,  yet  safe  from  frost,  though 
frost  is  not  injurious  when  the  spawn  is  dry.  It  is  also  a  bad  plan  to 
have  spawn  for  a  long  time  in  stock.  I  find  it  is  best  fresh,  therefore 
a  supply  ought  only  to  be  purchased  sufficient  for  the  season,  and 
it  ought  to  be  of  the  current  year’s  make — securing  it  early  in 
August. 
Mushrooms  are  a  natural  crop  in  August  and  September,  varied  by 
being  earlier  and  later  in  pastures  or  places  where  cattle  have  been 
kept,  and  as  the  supply  at  the  usual  Mushroom  season  is  generally 
adequate  for  ordinary  requirements,  we  may  pass  over  that  period  and 
face  the  fact  that  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  the  supply  is  produced 
by  cultivation.  The  cultivation  of  Mushrooms  has  of  late  years 
been  considerably  simplified,  which  is  in  a  great  measure  due  to  the 
impetus  given  by  the  timely  appearance  of  “Mushrooms  for  the 
Million.” 
The  alteration  more  particularly  applies  to  the  means  and  pre- 
paration  of  the  materials.  Formerly  much  time  and  trouble  were 
expended  on  the  material  in  order  to  get  it  into  a  proper  condition — to 
prolong  the  heat  in  a  subdued  form,  which  as  a  matter  of  course  from 
the  frequent  turnings  and  consequent  fermentations  caused  its 
exhaustion  by  the  time  it  was  considered  fit  to  make  up  into  the 
beds.  This  practice  has  been  dispensed  with  in  a  great  measure  by 
many  growers.  The  manure  is  cleared  of  all  the  long  straw,  and  being 
somewhat  light  or  springy  a  little  fresh  turfy  loam  broken  up  roughly 
added  gives  it  solidity,  and  insures  it  being  formed  into  a  firm  mass, 
besides  preventing  overheating  and  drying.  Thrown  in  a  heap  for  two 
or  three  days  it  will  heat,  and  should  be  put  in  the  beds  18  inches  deep. 
Spawning:  the  Bed. 
When  the  heat  is  sufficient,  or  in  about  three  days,  it  should  be 
trodden  or  beaten  down  firmly,  adding  more  if  necessary  to  make  it  of 
the  requisite  depth  or  18  inches,  and  a  thermometer  with  the  bulb 
3  inches  beneath  the  surface  will  indicate  the  temperature.  If  it  rise 
above  90°,  as  it  will  in  a  week,  wait  until  it  recedes  to  90°,  and  then 
insert  the  spawn  9  inches  apart,  just  beneath  the  surface,  beating  down 
so  as  to  firm  the  spawn  well  in  the  material.  In  the  course  of  a  week 
or  ten  days  the  bed  should  be  earthed,  but  if  the  heat  declines  rapidly 
this  may  be  done  soon  after,  or  at  the  time  of  inserting  the  spawn. 
Soiling. 
I  put  on  the  soil  3  inches  thick  in  the  loose  state,  which,  when  well 
beaten  down,  is  not  more  than  IJ  to  2  inches  in  thickness,  good  turfy 
loam.  If  dry  it  must  be  moistened  so  as  to  insure  its  being  firm, 
making  the  surface  smooth  with  the  back  of  a  spade.  To  prevent  it 
becoming  dry  and  cracking  a  layer  of  hay  may  be  placed  on  the  sur¬ 
face  about  6  inches  thick,  and  allowed  to  remain  until  the  Mushrooms 
appear,  as  they  will  in  from  six  to  eight  weeks  from  the  time  of  spawn¬ 
ing,  though  I  have  had  them  in  a  month  from  spawning,  but  such  is  not 
usual,  when  the  hay  must  be  removed  altogether.  The  soil  should  be 
kept  uniformly  moist,  avoiding  over-watering  or  its  opposite  extreme. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  the  place  wherein  the  bed  is  made 
should  be  thoroughly  cleansed,  every  means  being  taken  to  destroy 
woodlice  and  slugs,  which  will  save  much  after- trouble. 
In  order  to  have  a  supply  of  Mushrooms  by  the  time  the  outdoor 
supplies  are  over  a  bed  should  be  made  ready  for  spawning  early  in 
September,  and  successional  beds  will  need  to  be  made  at  intervals  oF 
a  month  or  six  weeks  according  to  means  and  requirements.  A 
temperature  of  50°  is  suitable  for  Mushrooms,  and  the  nearer  it  is  kept 
between  that  and  55°  the  more  fleshy  will  be  the  produce,  and  the 
better  the  crop. — G. 
- >  » - - 
Preparing  for  Spring  Bedding. 
Throughout  the  changing  seasons  of  the  year  the  brains  and  hands 
of  the  gardener  have  to  be  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  activity,  for 
success  does  not  depend  alone  upon  ability  to  deal  successfully  with 
the  requirements  and  difficulties  of  the  hour,  but  also  upon  the  exercise 
of  sound  judgment  in  “looking  ahead.”  Thus  while  summer  bedding 
is  in  the  zenith  of  its  beauty  steps  must  be  taken  to  lay  the  foundation 
for  an  equally  successful  display  in  spring.  Our  motto  must  be 
“Go  forward,”  or  we  shall  assuredly  retrograde.  By  bearing  these 
things  in  mind  we  shall  see  the  more  forcibly  how  necessary  it  is  at 
the  present  time  to  take  up  in  earnest  the  work  of  preparing  for  spring 
bedding. 
One  of  the  first  matters  to  be  attended  to  in  connection  with  this 
work  is  the  sowing  of  Pansy  seeds.  A  large  stock  of  plants  is  so  easily 
raised,  and  the  fiowers  produced  so  showy  and  varied,  that  Pansies  are 
quite  indispensable  for  providing  a  spring  and  early  summer  display  in 
the  flower  garden.  At  one  time  I  made  a  practice  of  sowing  the  first 
week  in  July,  but  I  have  found  this  to  be  too  early,  as  the  plants  grow 
very  large  before  autumn,  and  exhaust  themselves  to  a  great  extent 
by  flowering  in  September;  even  if  the  flowers  are  kept  constantly 
removed  the  shoots  grow  long,  and  are  often  killed  during  a  severe 
winter.  What  we  want  is  sturdy  plants  with  shoots  2  or  3  inches  in 
length  by  planting-ont  time,  which  operation  I  like  to  perform  about 
the  end  of  October,  so  that  they  become  well  established  before  dry 
weather  sets  in  in  spring.  I  usually  sow  in  rows  on  a  south  or  west 
border,  and  when  the  seedlings  are  large  enough  prick  out  6  inches- 
apart  in  an  open  situation  ;  sturdy  plants  are  thus  obtained,  which  will 
grow  and  flower  early  in  the  spring  months.  In  regard  to  varieties,  it 
is  only  necessary  to  say  that  every  firm  of  repute  will  supply  seed  of 
their  own  strains,  which  may  be  depended  upon  to  produce  something 
good. 
Lasthenia  californica  is  another  excellent  plant  to  sow  at  the  present 
time  in  order  to  secure  good  plants  for  spring  bedding.  It  seems  to  be 
but  little  grown,  and  I  strongly  recommend  it  to  all  who  require  a  most 
attractive  yellow  flowering  plant,  growing  from  9  inches  to  a  foot  in- 
height.  Our  own  stock  of  Silene  pendula  compacta  and  alba  has  been 
sown  a  couple  of  weeks,  with  a  view  to  get  it  to  flower  as  early 
as  possible,  but  it  is  not  yet  too  late  to  sow  it.  Aubrietias,  Iberis 
sempervirens,  and  Polyanthuses  were  sown  at  the  end  of  June, 
and  are  now  ready  for  pricking  out ;  they  will  then  only  require 
to  be  kept  watered  till  established,  and  free  from  weeds  till  planting 
out  time. 
Wallflowers  that  were  pricked  out  some  time  ago  should  be  looked 
over,  and  if  they  show  signs  of  becoming  crowded  the  alternate  plants 
ought  to  be  lifted  with  balls  of  earth  attached  and  transferred  to  other 
quarters.  It  is  only  by  giving  plenty  of  room  that  dwarf  sturdy  plants 
can  be  obtained,  and  leggy  Wallflowers  are  an  abhorrence  to  all  good 
gardeners. 
Violas  must  be  taken  in  hand  in  earnest  and  propagated  as  fast 
as  good  cuttings  can  be  obtained ;  but  it  is  better  to  wait  a  week  op 
two  longer  and  secure  short-jointed  young  shoots  which  spring  from 
the  base  of  the  plant  than  to  insert  the  long-jointed  ones  that  have 
been  flowering  throughout  the  spring  and  siimmer.  I  have  met  with, 
many  gardeners  who  seem  to  take  a  great  deal  pf  trouble  with  Viola 
cuttings  and  then  meet  with  only  moderate  success.  The  simple  plan 
I  follow  gives  but  little  trouble,  and  answers  perfectly.  My  cuttings 
are  always  inserted  in  the  same  position — viz.,  on  a  border  in  front 
of  a  south  wall.  The  ground  first  receives  a  coating  of  good  leaf  soil ; 
this  is  dug  in  and  the  surface  is  trodden  firmly,  raked  level,  and  given 
a  thin  coating  of  road  sand.  The  cuttings  put  in  vary  in  length 
from  1  to  1 J  inch  ;  these  are  inserted  2  inches  apart,  so  that  those  left 
till  spring  do  not  become  crowded.  I  do  not  shade  in  any  way,  but 
keep  the  soil  constantly  moist,  and  nearly  every  cutting  roots.  I  am 
convinced  that  one  of  the  principal  reasons  why  many  fail  to  root 
their  cuttings  is  that  they  allow  the  surface  soil  to  become  too  dry 
before  water  is  given.  The  strongest  of  our  plants  I  place  in  the 
flower  beds  in  November,  but  the  weaker  ones  remain  undisturbed, 
till  February  or  March. 
This  year,  when  doing  the  summer  bedding,  we  lifted  any  Violas 
that  showed  signs  of  exhaustion.  What  good  cuttings  were  thus 
obtained  were  inserted  in  boxes ;  these  have  rooted,  and  are  now 
growing  freely,  and  in  a  few  days  I  hope  to  have  them  planted  in  an 
open  piece  of  ground  about  6  inches  apart.  By  keeping  the  flowers 
picked  off  we  shall  obtain  plants  that  will  flower  very  early  in  tho 
spring. — H. 
