if the beds are soiled immediately after
planting. These operators wait two or three weeks after the spawn has
been planted to soil it. Others wait until the temperature of the bed
has fallen from 80 deg. or 85 deg. at the time of spawning, to 70 deg.
or 60 deg. F. Soiling at this temperature, that is, at 60 deg. or 70
deg. F., probably prevents the rapid cooling down of the bed, and it is
desirable to soil, at least at this temperature, for that purpose. When
the beds are soiled, they are then left until the crop is ready to
gather. Some operators give no further attention to the beds after
soiling, other than to water the beds, if that becomes necessary. It is
desirable to avoid watering, if the bed can be kept at the right state
of moisture without. In watering the beds while the spawn is running,
there is danger of killing the young spawn with the water. Wherever it
is necessary, however, if the material in the bed becomes too dry,
lukewarm water should be used, and it should be applied through a fine
rose of a watering pot.

While some operators after soiling the bed give no further care to it
until the bed is bearing, others cover the beds with some litter, in the
form of straw or excelsior. This is done for the purpose of conserving
the moisture in the bed, and especially the moisture on the surface of
the bed. Sometimes where there is a tendency for the material in the bed
to become too dry, this litter on the surface retards the loss of
moisture. Also, the litter itself may be moistened and the bed can
absorb some moisture in this way, if it is desirable to increase the
moisture content of the bed slightly.

When the spawn has once run well through the bed, watering can be
accomplished with less danger of injury, yet great care must be used
even now. The spawn will run through a bed with a somewhat less moisture
content in the material than is necessary for drawing off the crop of
mushrooms, though, of course, the spawn will not run if the bed is too
dry. The only way to see if the spawn has run satisfactorily is to open
up the bed at one or two points to examine the material, opening it up
slightly. If the spawn has run well, a very delicate white "fiber," the
mycelium, can be seen penetrating all through the material. This handful
can be replaced in the bed, packed down, and the soil covered over and
firmed again at this point.

When the mushrooms begin to appear, if the bed is a little dry, it
should be