ared and dried this spawn keeps good
for ten years.

=A Second Method= (by Lachaume). "This is generally adopted by mushroom
growers. The formation of the spawn is accelerated by adding pieces of
old spawn here and there.... At the beginning of April we must choose a
piece of ground situated at the foot of a wall facing north.... The soil
ought to be very open and light rather than heavy, so as to avoid
dampness. Taking advantage of a fine day, we open a trench sixteen
inches wide and at about eight inches from the foot of the wall, and of
a length adapted to the quantity of spawn we desire to produce. The
earth is thrown out on the side opposite the wall. Manure which has been
prepared for a mushroom bed, and has just come into condition is then
filled into the trench, leaving, however, a space at one end of it about
two feet and six inches in length for the formation of a mushroom bed,
which is made by tossing the manure about and shaking it up with the
hands, after which it is pressed down with the hands and knees. As soon
as the layer of manure reaches six inches in thickness we place along
the edge a number of lumps of spawn at about one foot apart. These lumps
are placed level with the manure on the edge facing the wall. This
portion of the surface of the manure ought to be raised vertically, and
should lean against the earthen wall of the trench. The other half of
the surface ought to slope gently toward the wall, leaving a space of
three or four inches between it and the side of the trench, so that it
may be trimmed. The lumps of spawn on this surface should be placed a
little backward, so that they may not be broken when the bed is trimmed.
The bed is then covered with more manure, until the first lumps of spawn
are buried three or four inches deep. A second row of lumps of spawn is
then inserted, as described in the directions for making the first row,
and the bed is filled up level with the surface of the soil. It is
finished by covering it up with a layer of fine, dry soil three or four
inches thick. The spawn ought to be very dry, otherwise we shall get a
premature crop of mushrooms instead of fresh spawn. At the end of six
weeks or a couple of months the new spawn ought to make its appearance,
a fact which we may learn by opening the bed. One sign, which will save
us the trouble of opening up the beds, is the appearance of young
mushrooms on the surface. The layer of earth is first removed, and then
the ca