ing of the beds. Mr. William
Swayne of Kennett Square, Pa., in the winter of 1900--1901, made up a
portion of one of his beds in this way, and no difference could be seen
in the results of the crop, the crop from the beds made in this way
being as good as that of the adjoining beds, and he intends the
following year to make up all of his beds in the same way.

=Mixing soil with the manure at the time of fermentation.=--While in the
cave culture of mushrooms the manure is usually fermented and used
without the admixture of soil, usually in the house or cellar culture
rich loam soil, or rotted sod, is mixed with the manure at the time of
turning it, during the process of fermentation. At the time of the first
turning, soil is mixed in, a layer of the manure being spread out on the
ground, and then a sprinkling of soil over this. Then another layer of
the manure is added with another sprinkling of soil, and so on as the
new pile is built up. In the first turning of the manure, about one part
of soil is used to eight or nine parts of manure. Then at the last
turning another mixture of soil is added, so that there is about
one-fifth part soil in the mixture. The soil aids somewhat in lowering
the temperature, and also adds some to the bulk, so that more beds can
be made up with the same amount of manure.

=Horse droppings free from straw.=--For growing mushrooms on a small
scale, as in cellars or boxes, some prefer to select the horse droppings
free from straw.

MAKING UP THE BEDS.

=Making up beds without the addition of soil.=--In the cave culture of
mushrooms the beds are usually made from manure alone, there being no
addition of soil. This is perhaps partly due to the expense of getting
the soil in and out from the caves as well as to the low temperature
prevailing there. It is believed by many that the results are equally as
good in beds from the manure alone as in those which contain an
admixture of soil. The method of making the beds in the Akron cave, or
"tunnel," is as follows: The manure, immediately after it has passed
through the process of fermentation and curing in the pile, is carted to
the district in the mine where the beds are to be made and is dumped in
a long windrow on the ground. The length of the windrow depends of
course upon the amount of material which is ready, as well as upon the
amount necessary for making up the beds for that distance. Two hemlock
boards, sixteen feet long and ten inches w