Spawning the Beds - Gathering the Crops - The Final Spurt - How to Pack and Market - Mushrooms in Meadows hen the mushroom-beds have been W prepared, half the battle has been won. To ensure perfect firmness, go over the beds yet again, beating their sides with the manure fork; the tighter they are (within reason) the better, and the more likelihood there will be of their attaining a suitable temperature.

For the benefit of the lay reader, it may be explained that moist manure snugly packed in ridges generates a very considerable heat. In its earlier stages this heat is far too great for the spawn to be introduced, and the beds will usually take several days to reach the ideal temperature.

In gardens which are conducted on scientific lines, a thermometer is brought into play to determine the exact degree of heat contained in a mushroom-bed. Special thermometers with brass tubing are sold for the purpose, costing about 4s. each, and known as "hotbed" thermometers. In more homely establishments, however, the heat of a bed is determined by means of several sticks kept permanently thrust into the beds.

By the more elaborate plan, one waits till the thermometer registers slightly over eighty degrees; by the stick method, one delays until this plebeian appliance can be held in the hand without discomfort. Having arrived at this happy stage by either route, one may be assured that the mushroom bed is ready to receive the spawn, which, of course, must be as fresh as possible.

Spawning The Beds

The first step should be to break the bricks of spawn into from seven to ten pieces of more or less equal size, according to the dimensions of the brick. These pieces have to be inserted in the bed, so that they lie some ten inches apart in all directions, the lowest row at least six inches from the ground.

Commence operations near the base at one end of the bed, and, having donned an old pair of leather gloves, scoop out with the fingers a small hole in the surface of the bed. Into the aperture place a piece of spawn with its flattened side quite near the surface of the bed. Pack the space round the piece of spawn tightly with manure, and proceed to the next piece. It is important that the opening prepared with the fingers shall be as nearly as possible the exact size of the piece of spawn, to prevent disturbing the surface of the bed more than can be avoided. Unless the weather be cold and unusually wet, the spawning of a bed means another short period of marking time; in the event Of the bad weather, however, a dressing of the long, strawy manure extracted from supplies when making up the bed may be lightly shaken over it by way of protection from the inclement conditions.

Given good weather, however, the bed will require no attention for four days, at the expiration of which time the necessary soil should be applied. Any ordinary good garden soil that is available will serve the purpose, provided it does not contain a preponderance of manure, and it should be either chopped up finely with a spade, or else riddled through the domestic sieve, to remove stones and vegetable matter.

Should it have been necessary to provide protecting litter for the bed after spawning, this must be removed before soiling. The soil is, of course, put in place with a spade, and with the back of this tool it is beaten down so that it lies firmly in place. Some mushroom growers put soil to the depth of an inch and a half, others to two inches. The writer prefers the former method, for it naturally entails much less labour.

How And When To Water

So much for the initial work of growing mushrooms, the broad principles of which must be followed, whether the fungi are grown out of doors or under cover. In the latter case, no further attention is required beyond covering the beds with strawy litter to a depth of from six to ten inches. In the open ground, however, this litter must be applied gradually, a little each day, till within a week it is piled up over the bed a foot thick, the straw being well mingled and spread to protect the bed itself from the effects of bad weather.

Obviously, a supply of moisture is of importance to mushrooms, but during the early stages in particular it must be sparingly given. An out-of-door bed should require practically no water, and indoors it will probably suffice to sprinkle the walls of the building occasionally. Certainly, an overabundance of moisture is detrimental. When the mushrooms are in full growth, however, water may be given far more freely.

Gathering The Crop

From the time of spawning, from four to six weeks, according to circumstances, must elapse before the first mushrooms may be expected to appear; in winter the time will be even longer. Once a start is made, the crop should continue for some time, produce being gathered two or three times a week, according to the supply. Even when the crop begins to fail as the fertility of the bed runs its normal course, a final spurt may be gained by supplying liquid manure, the fluid being made in the ordinary way, by steeping stable refuse in a tub of water.

To gather mushrooms from a bed, they must be twisted off sharply, so that the entire stem comes away from the bed; when growing singly, they may be pulled up with ease. To cut them with a knife is a very bad practice, productive of much future trouble. Mushrooms are usually packed in "chip" baskets, such as are sold very cheaply by all sundriesmen, the baskets being first lined with blue or white packing-paper. They may be marketed in the ordinary way, but the writer would reiterate the value of securing private customers.

In most pasture land where horses graze, mushrooms will usually appear of their own accord, but if spawn is inserted beneath the turf far more profitable results may be achieved. A common practice is to raise sods of the turf some twelve inches square, and to dig out a hole of about a cubic foot in size. Into this hole manure is placed, and beaten down firmly; a couple of pieces of spawn two inches square are then inserted, then some soil, and, finally, the turf is replaced. These holes may be made and spawned at intervals over the pasture, and their presence will ensure an ever-increasing supply of mushrooms for many seasons.

Briefly, then, mushrooms may be grown in ridges out of doors; they may be cultivated in paddocks or meadows; they may be grown in unheated greenhouses, sheds, cupboards, cellars, barns, or in a heated greenhouse. The general broad rules apply to every mode of culture.

Mushroom gatherers on Mr. Mizen's farm at Mitcham. The produce sent out amounts to Photo. many tons in the course of the year Clarke & Hyde