Of the Mushroom Bed.
THE seasons for making the beds have been already observed under the article of preparing the dung. With respect to the situation, they may either be in melonary or cucumber ground, in a dry elevated spot, and a warm sunny exposure; or in any of the large quarters of a dry kitchen garden.
They may be made either entirely on the surface, or occasionally in a shallow trench. In low or strong soils, where there is danger of water remaining in Winter, or after hard rains, elevate the bottom of the bed sufficiently from the wet. By its being entirely on the surface you have the opportunity of employing the whole bed quite from the bottom, which could not be so well effected if part were buried in a trench. If it be designed to have the bed in one of the dry kitchen garden quarters, in a rich light soil, make a shallow trench about six inches deep, in order to use the earth thereof in moulding over the bed, to save the trouble of bringing it from a distant part; especially where considerable ranges are intended, and require great quantities of earth; using also the earth between the beds, digged down as low as the bottom of the dung, that the whole on each side of the bed may be cleared sufficiently to admit of spawning it quite from the bottom. The bed should be four or five feet wide, four or five feet high, and in length it may extend from ten to fifty feet or more. If two or more beds are intended, let them be arranged parallel one beside the other, at six or eight feet distance, and, if convenient, ranged South and North, that both sides may have equal benefit of the sun's influence, for occasionally drying the covering of litter more effectually, when rendered wet by excessive rains.
According to the above directions, mark out the places for the beds, and let the surface of the ground be well cleared from weeds and rubbish four feet wide, and if a trench is intended, excavate it only about ten inches deep, laying the mould equally to both sides ready for moulding the bed when spawned.
In the formation of the bed different methods are practised; but I never found more than one to be good and successful. Some are made by a layer of dung a foot thick, and a layer of earth, alternately; but beds made entirely of dung are what I recommend; dung and earth together rarely succeed, notwithstanding this method is recommended by some eminent writers, who however appear to have been totally unacquainted with the proper management.
Let the dung when duly prepared in the heap as before advised, be brought in long and short together as it comes to hand: then having a handy two-tined fork, &c. begin to form the foundation of the bed by shaking some of the longest dry litter, evenly at bottom, forming the bed at first to the full width, and gradually narrowing upwards, by drawing in each side moderately and regularly, generally advancing only a yard or two in length, raising it by degrees to a ridge the full height, as a guide to the whole; and continuing it along regularly lengthwise in the same proportion. Beat the dung firmly in with the fork from time to time as you proceed, and be careful to form both sides of an equal slope, narrowing very gradually upwards till they meet and terminate at top in the sharp ridge before mentioned; each end to be also proportionally sloped. Let the whole be firmly wrought to preserve effectually the requisite uniformity, and prevent settling too considerably; for it should be three feet, or three feet and half perpendicular height when fully settled. Finish the work by trimming up all small dung on the ground around the bed, to the top; beating the whole on both sides firm and even; so that the bed now finished may assume the shape of the roof of a house, both sides forming steep slopes, in which the spawn is to be planted.
In a week or fortnight after the bed is made it will heat violently, and probably continue so for a fortnight or three weeks or more, especially if of a considerable extent, and must on no account be spawned till the violent heat subsides and becomes reduced only to a gentle warmth, otherwise the spawn will be totally destroyed and the whole work to be done over again, and this is often the cause of so many Mushroom beds proving barren, the spawn perishing at the first setting off. See Spawning the bed, page 36.
When the bed is made, thrust down some long sharp pointed sticks, two three or more, in each bed according to its length, and by drawing up the sticks two or three times a week, and feeling the lower end, you will be able to judge more readily of the working and state of the beds, for the reception of the spawn.
Let the bed be fully exposed to the open air, day and night, that its heat may come on gradually without burning; if excessive rains should happen, cast some dry litter at top, or spread garden mats, so as to shoot off the wet, lest it should perish the bed, or occasion it to heat violently and burn; either of which would render it totally useless. Great humidity is a certain enemy to Mushroom beds, as it soon exterminates the whole spawny substance.
Some persons indeed make the beds under an airy covered shed, or barn, or erect a fort of awning of canvas: some also, having considerable ranges of glass houses, make them in these departments. I however have always found success in the open ground, and generally much better than when under any covering.
By way of curiosity and experiment, I have made a bed for Mushrooms in the same manner as for cucumbers and melons, permitting it to remain till the heat had in a manner quite declined, then put on the frame and placed the spawn on the surface of the dung, and earthed it two inches with light fine loam, covered the whole, half a foot, with dry litter, as also the outside of the bed and frame, defending it with the lights tilted behind, and have succeeded.
I have observed, in the Autumn, in an old melon hot-bed a large quantity of strong spawn overspreading the surface of the dung within the frame, and running considerably through the mould, which was loam. Covering the surface of the earth with dry hay and litter round the outside, and puting on the lights, I have suffered the whole to remain undisturbed till about February, when the Mushrooms began to appear in as great a crop and as fine as ever were seen. In late cucumber and melon beds, made in April and May, for the Autumn crops, I have, when the heat of the bed has become very moderate, placed some pieces of spawn along the edges about two inches under the mould, and in Autumn, have produced good Mushrooms, observing to cover the place with a little dry litter.
However the only certain method is to make a regular bed as before directed.