at a distance of 20 inches apart and of any desired length. (See Fig. 5, Plate 4.) The beds once made of a firm close-fitting texture, the manure soon begins to warm again, but does not become unwholesomely hot for the spread of the spawn. The spawn is inserted generally within a few inches of the base, about 13 inches apart in the line of course, having ascertained beforehand that the heat is genial and suitable. The pieces of spawn used are about the size of three fingers and then the manure is closed over and pressed firmly around. This done the beds are covered with about 6 inches of clear litter. If after the lapse of ten or twelve days the white filaments are seen spreading in the bed the cultivator knows that the spawn is good; if not, the spawn is rotting and must be removed and replaced with better. When the spawn is seen spreading well through the beds, the bed should be covered with fresh, sweet, rich soil of the garden and applied equally and firmly with a shovel to the depth of about an inch or so. A covering of abundance of litter or old mats is put on after the beds are earthed, and kept in place by means of tiles, bricks, old boards, or any such material for protection. The beds will soon be in full bearing and it is thought better to examine and gather from them every second day or even every day if there are many beds. Occasional watering is necessary in a dry season. The beds are spawned at a temperature of about 80° F.

FIGS. 6 and 7, PLATE V, represents a mushroom house and sections designed with a view to growing mushrooms during the greater part of the year without the aid of artificial heat. It is constructed, as will be seen, in such a way as not to be affected by changes of the external temperature. The walls are hollow and banked round with the soil excavated from the interior. The roof is thatched with reeds and the ends stud-work, lined inside with boards and outside with split larch poles, the cavity to be filled with sawdust or cut straw; a small diamond-shaped ventilator, hung on pivots, to be fixed in each end. The floor may be of concrete or burnt clay, well rammed, and the beds are retained in their places by boards nailed to good oak posts. Care should be taken to put efficient drains so that no stagnant damp may exist about the building.

As the Department of Agriculture has had frequent inquiries as to mushroom spawn and how and where to obtain it, the following, taken from Robinson on Mushroom Culture, is inserted for the benefit of those whom it may concern:

Generally, the spawn is supposed to be analogous to seed. It is really what may be termed the vegetation of the plant, or something analogous to roots, stems, and leaves of ordinary plants, the stem, head, and gills of the mushroom being in fact the fructification. Spawn is found in a natural state in half decomposed manure heaps, in places where horse droppings have accumulated and been kept dry, and rarely or never in very moist or saturated materials. This natural spawn is the best, and should be used wherever it can be found. Divide the white spawn into pieces a few inches square, say, an inch or more thick. They will, of course, break up irregularly, but all should be used, whether of the size of a bean or nearly that of the open hand. In most places where horses are kept opportunities of finding this spawn occur. Its white, filamentous, and downy threads have the odor of mushrooms, and the spawn is therefore very easily recognized. It need not be used when found, but may be dried and kept in a dry place for years; has been known to keep as long as fourteen years. To preserve spawn found in a natural state nothing more is required than to take up carefully the parts of the manure in which it is found, not breaking them up more than may be necessary, and placing the pieces, of all sizes, loosely in rough shallow hampers. Place these in some airy loft or shed till thoroughly dry, and afterwards pack in rough boxes till wanted

for use.

ARTIFICIAL MUSHROOM SPAWN.

This spawn is made from horse droppings and some cow dung and road scrapings beaten up into a mortar-like consistency in a shed and then formed into bricks slightly differing in shape with different makers but usually thinner and wider than common building bricks. The following proportions are about the best: (1) Horse droppings the chief part; one fourth cow dung; remainder loam. (2) Fresh horse droppings mixed with short litter for the greater part; cow dung one third; and the rest mold or loam. (3) Horse dung, cow dung, and loam in equal parts. These bricks are placed

AG 90-24

in some dry airy place and when half dry a little bit of spawn about as big as a hazel nut is placed in the centre of each, or sometimes when the bricks are as wide as long a particle is put near each corner just inserted below the surface and plastered over with the material of the brick. When nearly dry the bricks are placed in a hotbed about a foot thick in a shed or dry place. The bricks are piled openly and loosely and covered with litter so that the heat may circulate evenly among them, not above 60° F. If the temperature should exceed this it may be reduced by removing the covering of the litter. The bricks are frequently examined during the process and when the spawn has been found to spread throughout the brick like a fine white mold it is removed and allowed to dry for future use in a dark place. If allowed to go further than the fine white mold stage and form threads and tubercles in the bricks it has attained a higher degree of development than is consistent with preserving its vegetative powers, and therefore it should be removed from the drying bed in the fine mold stage.

French mushroom spawn differs from our own in not being in the form of bricks or solid lumps, but in rather light masses, scarcely half decomposed, comparatively loose, dry litter. This spawn is obtained by preparing a little bed, as if for mushrooms, in the ordinary way, and spawning it with morsels of virgin spawn, if obtainable. When the spawn has spread through it the bed is broken up and used for spawning beds in the caves or dried and preserved for sale. It is sold in small boxes, and is fit for insertion when pulled in rather thin pieces about half the size of the open hand. In separating it, it divides into many small pieces, every particle of which should be used. The small particles should be strewn broadcast over the bed after the larger pieces have been inserted. There is no necessity for purchasing artificial spawn at all where mushrooms are regularly grown. Nor is there in any case, except at the commencement or to guard against one's own spawn proving bad. To secure good spawn we have only to do as the French growers do, take a portion of a bed where it is thoroughly permeated by the spawn and before it begins to bear and preserve it for future use.

The following methods of cooking mushrooms may prove useful: Broiled Procerus.-Remove the scales and stalks from the agarics and boil lightly over a clear fire on both sides for a few minutes; arrange them on a dish over freshly made well buttered toast; sprinkle with pepper and salt and put a small piece of butter on each; set before a brisk fire to melt the butter, and serve up quickly. Bacon toasted over broiled mushrooms improves the flavor and saves the butter.

Agarics delicately stewed.-Remove the stalks and scales from young, half-grown agarics and throw each one as you do so into a basin of fresh water slightly acidulated with the juice of a lemon or a little good vinegar. When all are prepared remove them from the water and put them in a stewpan with a very small piece of fresh butter. Sprinkle white pepper and salt and add a little lemon juice; cover up closely and stew for half an hour; then add a spoonful of flour with sufficient cream, or cream and milk, till the whole has the thickness of cream. Season to taste and stew again until the agarics are perfectly tender. Remove all the butter from the surface and serve in a hot dish garnished with slices of lemon. A little mace or nutmeg or catsup may be added, but some think that spice spoils the flavor.

Cottager's Procerus pie.-Cut fresh agarics in small pieces and cover the bottom of a pie dish. Pepper, salt, and place them on small shreds of fresh bacon, then put in a layer of mashed potatoes, and so fill the dish layer by layer with a cover of mashed potatoes for the crust. Bake well for half an hour and brown before a quick fire.

A la Provençale.-Steep for two hours in some salt, pepper, and a little garlic, then toss them in a small stewpan over a brisk fire with parsley chopped and a little lemon juice. (Dr. Badham.)

Agaric ketchup.-Place agarics of as large a size as you can procure, but which are not worm-eaten, layer by layer in a deep pan, sprinkling each layer as it is put in with a little salt. Then next day stir them well several times so as to mash and extract their juice. On the third day strain off the liquor, measure, and boil for ten minutes, and then to every pint of liquor add half an ounce of black pepper, a quarter of an ounce of bruised ginger root, a blade of mace, a clove or two, and a teaspoonful of mustard seed. Boil again for half an hour; put in two or three bay leaves and set aside till quite cold. Pass through a strainer, and bottle; cork well and dip the ends in resin. A very little Chili vinegar is an improvement, and some add a glass of port wine or a glass of strong ale to every bottle. Care should be taken that the spice is not so abundant as to overpower the true flavor of the agaric. A careful cook will keep back a little of the simple boiled liquor to guard against this danger; a good one will always avoid it.

To stew mushrooms.-Trim and rub clean half a pint of large button mushrooms. Put into a stewpan 2 ounces of butter; shake it over a fire until thoroughly melted; put in the mushrooms, a teaspoonful of salt, half as much pepper, and a blade of mace pounded; stew till the mushrooms are tender, then serve on a hot dish. is usually a breakfast dish.

This

Mushrooms a la creme.-Trim and rub half a pint of button mushrooms; dissolve 2 ounces of butter rolled in flour in a stewpan; put in the mushrooms, a bunch of parsley, a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful each of white pepper and of powdered sugar, shake the pan for ten minutes, then beat up the yolks of two eggs with two tablespoonfuls of cream, and add by degrees to the mushrooms; in two or three minutes you can serve them in sauce.

Mushrooms on toast.-Put a pint of mushrooms into a stewpan with 2 ounces of butter rolled in flour; add a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of white pepper, a blade of powdered mace, and half a teaspoonful of grated lemon; stew till the butter is all absorbed; then serve on toast, or as soon as the mushrooms are tender.

To pot mushrooms.-The small open mushrooms suit best for potting. Trim and rub them; put into a stew pan a quart of mushrooms, 3 ounces of butter, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and half a teaspoonful of Cayenne and mace mixed, and stew for ten or fifteen minutes or till the mushrooms are tender; take them carefully out and drain them perfectly on a sloping dish, and when cold press them into small pots and pour clarified butter over them, in which state they will keep for a week or two. Writing paper over the butter, and over that melted suet will effectually preserve them for weeks if in a dry, cool place.

To pickle mushrooms.-Select a number of small sound pasture mushrooms as nearly alike in size as possible. Throw them for a few minutes into cold water, then drain them, cut off the stalks and gently rub off the outer skin with a moist flannel dipped in salt;

then boil the vinegar, adding to each quart 2 ounces of salt, half a nutmeg grated, a drachm of mace, and an ounce of white peppercorns. Put the mushrooms into the vinegar for ten minutes over the fire, then pour the whole into small jars, taking care that the spices are equally divided; let them stand a day; then cover them.

Baked mushrooms.-Peel the tops of twenty mushrooms; cut off a portion of the stalks and wipe them carefully with a piece of flannél dipped in salt. Lay the mushrooms in a tin dish, put a small piece of butter on the top of each, and season with pepper and salt. Set the dish in the oven and bake them from twenty minutes to half an hour. When done arrange them high in the center of a very hot dish, pour the sauce round them, and serve quickly and as hot as you possibly can.

Mushrooms with bacon.-Take some full-grown mushrooms and having cleaned them procure a few rashers of nice streaky bacon and fry it in the usual manner. When nearly done add a dozen or so of mushrooms and fry them slowly until they are cooked. In this process they will absorb all the fat of the bacon, and with the addition of a little salt and pepper will form a most appetizing breakfast relish. Mushrooms en ragout.-Put into a stew pan a little "stock," a small quantity of vinegar, parsley, and green onions chopped up, salt and spices. When this is about to boil, the mushrooms being cleaned, put them in. When done remove them from the fire and thicken with yolks of eggs.

Extract from the letter of a correspondent in Virginia:

* * * I learned so much from your "Twelve Edible Mushrooms" that I wish to express my gratitude for the book and for the clear and distinct instructions you have put in it. I brought my little book down here this fall where people knew of only one edible mushroom. By your aid we discovered others, especially the Giant Puff-ball, which we gathered in great quantities and prepared in more than one fashion for the table, making an excellent addition to the somewhat limited bill of fare found in a country district, If you can spare a few more copies of your pamphlet I should like to give them to some of my friends to whom I think they would prove eminently useful.

TWELVE POISONOUS MUSHROOMS.

[Description of Plate II.]

FIG. 1. "Red-juice" Mushroom (Hygrophorus conicus). This species is common in pastures and roadsides. It has a strong and unpleasant odor; flesh, juicy; color of the top, crimson or a deep orange; taste, bitter; stem, hollow. It is found in groups on old tree stumps.

FIG. 2. "Emetic" Mushroom (Russula emetica). This dangerous species has a bright scarlet or rose-colored top, sometimes shaded with purple. The skin is readily peeled off exposing the flesh which is white. It is very acrid to the taste.

66

FIG. 3. Verdigris" Mushroom (Agaricus aruginosus). Pileus fleshy, convexoplane, covered with green mucus; stem, hollow and scaly, tinged with blue; gills, brown tinged with purple. This mushroom quickly decays. Top is about 3 inches

across.

FIG. 4. "Satanical" tube Mushroom (Boletus satanas). By far the most splendid of all the Boleti. Top nearly white, very fleshy and a little viscid. Stem firm, exquisitely reticulated. The under surface of the pileus is bright crimson. When bruised or broken the inner fleshy substance becomes a deep blue. As its name indicates this belongs to the class of tube or pore-bearing fungi. The pores are upon the under surface of the pileus and take the place of the gills or lamellæ of the Agaricini group.

FIG. 5. "Trellised" Clathrus (Clathrus cancellatus). This is a poisonous mushroom of great beauty and variety. The foetor exhaled from it is most repulsive. In the young plant, however, the bad odor is not so strong, or may be altogether wanting.

FIG. 6. "Spring" Mushroom (Agaricus (Amanita) vernus). This agaric is found in