room bed from which supplies may sometimes be gathered for
years. In the summer it will be necessary to keep the walls moist by
means of the syringe, or they will cease bearing.

==Indoor Beds.==--Mushrooms may be grown almost anywhere, evenly in a
cellar, or on the wall of a warm stable, provided only that the mode of
procedure is in a reasonable degree adapted to the requirements of the
fungus. Ordinary pits and frames are also serviceable, and many
gardeners obtain good crops in autumn by the simple process of inserting
a few lumps of spawn in a Cucumber or Melon bed while the plants are
still in bearing. Between spawning and cropping a period of six or eight
weeks usually elapses, so that if the plan just mentioned be adopted,
the spawn should be introduced in the height of summer, both to insure
it a warm bed and to allow time for the crop to mature before the season
runs out. Sheds and outhouses not only afford shelter and space for beds
on the floor, but the walls can be fitted with shelves on which
Mushrooms may be plentifully grown. In all cases the shelves should be
two feet apart vertically, and each shelf should have a ledge nine
inches deep. The walls of a house may be quickly and cheaply fitted with
woodwork for the purpose, but brick is so much better than wood that
whenever it is possible to employ brick it should have the preference.
As regards the ledges, they should be of stout planking in any case, and
should not be fixed, because of the necessity for clearing the shelves
and renewing the soil periodically. The details of cultivation are the
same within doors as without, but the roof gives valuable protection,
and helps to maintain the beds at a suitable temperature.

==A proper Mushroom-house== for production during winter should be heated
with hot water, and have an opaque roof. There is nothing so good for
the crop as a roof of thatch, but there are many objections to it, and
usually slate is employed. A double roof will pay for its extra cost by
promoting an equable temperature. A few side lights fitted with shutters
are necessary, as there should be a good light for working purposes; but
the crop does not need light, and a more steady temperature can be
maintained in a dark house than in one which has several windows. The
most convenient dimensions for a Mushroom-house are: length, twenty-five
feet; width, twelve feet; height at sides, six feet, to allow of a bed
on the floor, and a shelf four f