d and others that were not cased over until the fourth,
seventh, tenth, or fourteenth day after spawning. The good or bad
results in the time of casing depend on the condition of the manure in
the beds, the depth at which the spawn has been inserted, the openness
or closeness of the place in which the beds are situated, and other
cultural conditions. But to delay casing as late as the fifteenth or
sixteenth day after spawning is injurious to the crop, because in
applying the covering of soil we are sure to break many of the mycelium
threads that have by this time so freely permeated the surface of the
manure. After the fourth week little white knots may be observed here
and there on the spawn threads; these are forming mushrooms, and to
delay casing the bed until this time would smother these little
pinheads, and greatly mar our prospects of a good crop.

Peter Henderson, in his invaluable work, "Gardening for Profit," has
given rise to a deep seated prejudice against molding over mushroom
beds as soon as they are spawned by telling us that in his first attempt
at mushroom-growing he had labored for two years without being able to
produce a single mushroom, and all because he molded over his beds with
a two-inch casing of loam just as soon as he had spawned them. Then he
changed his tactics, and did not mold over the beds until the tenth or
twelfth day after spawning, and was rewarded with good crops of
mushrooms. Now, notwithstanding Mr. Henderson's experience, it is a fact
that many excellent growers spawn and mold their beds the same day, and
with success. But Mr. H. has done much good in displaying a rock against
which many might be wrecked, so much depends upon other cultural
conditions. The old practice of inserting the spawn three or more inches
deep into the manure bed and then molding it at once with two inches
deep of loam was enough to destroy the most potent spawn; nowadays we
barely cover the spawn with the manure, and this is how molding over at
once is so successful.

All the preparation necessary is to have the loam in medium dry, mellow
condition, well broken up with the spade or digging fork, and freed from
sticks, stones, big roots, clods, chunks of old manure, and the like.

Sifting the soil for casing the beds is labor lost. Sifted soil has no
advantage over unsifted earth, except when it is to be used for
topdressing the bearing beds or filling up the holes in their surface.

The condition of th