s seldom, if ever, impaired by
the compacting effect of the treading. In order to maintain a necessary
winter temperature of 60 deg. a four-inch hot-water pipe extends the whole
length of the house about two feet from the floor. On the other side of
the brick wall is a greenhouse which, by keeping the wall warm, helps to
keep the mushroom house warm. Mr. Henshaw divides this house into three
equal beds. The part at the further end of the house is made up in the
fall and comes into bearing in December; the middle part a month later
to come in a month later, and the near end still a month later, to
follow as another succession. Then, if need be, and he wishes to renew
the bed at the further end of the house, he clears it out and supplies
fresh material for the new bed.

CHAPTER IV.

GROWING MUSHROOMS IN SHEDS.

Any one who has a snug, warm shed, may have a good mushroom house, but
it is imperative that the floor should be dry, and the roof water-tight.
Of course a close shed, as a tool-house or a carriage-house, is better
than an open shed, but even a shed that is open on the south side, if
closely walled on the other sides, can also be made of good use for
mushroom beds. While open sheds are good enough for beds that yield
their crop before Christmas, they are ill-adapted for midwinter beds.
The temperature of the interior of a mushroom bed should be about 60 deg.
during the bearing period, and the temperature of the surface of the bed
45 deg. to 50 deg. at least; if lower than that the mycelium has a tendency to
rest, and the crop stagnates. Now this temperature can not be maintained
in an open shed, in hard frosty weather, without more trouble than the
crop is worth. The beds would have to be boxed up and mulched very
heavily. And even in a close, warm shed, protection in this way would
have to be given, but the bed should not be under the penetrating
influence of piercing winds and draughts. The mushroom beds should
therefore be made in the warmest parts of the warmest sheds.

The beds should be made upon the floor and as much to one side as
possible, so as to be out of the way, and in form flat on the ground, or
rounded up against the sides of the shed; in the latter case the house
should be well banked around on the outside with litter or tree leaves
or earth, so as to exclude frost from the lower part of the walls, and
thereby prevent the manure in the beds from getting badly chilled. The
beds should be