The National tribune., 1884-02-21
OUR RURAL. TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
ROW mo Crow MusHRooaIs.


room culture arc abridged from a French arti- |
Gle. II is well known that the French culti- |
yators excel in this production.
"The chief conditions consist in growing /
mushrooms in a very rich soil, and under |
genial even temperature. To secure this latter /
condition the culture is often carried on in Gel |
lars, but other localities, such as sheds, out |
houses stables. railway arches &c, viii suit as
wei provided tllat either naturally or by artih-
cial means, the temperature does not exceed 80 /
degrees nor falls below 30 degrees Fahrenheit
The faost essential material Tor the bed IS horse
aropnings, collected as dry and as free IRON
straw as possible. This fermenting material
waala be TOO hot Il used by itself at once, but
il can be reduced by mixing about one-fourth
OF its ha.k with good garden soil. With this
precaRton the bed can be prepared ininedl-
diasely. ii the NaaUrc is used by itself, as The
mushroom growers around Paris &C, 1t is neces-
saly TO prepare It by turning 1t over frequently
and spriakiiag with water. 50 as 10 induce fer
mentEti0a II il is Gry. Two Or three or more
turnings may be Necessary. The material is
now brought 10 the pace where the beds are to
BE- made; these may be OF any form and size.
Experience has shown that the best beds are
raised 10 a height OF about twenty inches, with
a foundation width OF twcnty-four inches.
Barrels sawn in two, so that each part forms
tub arc used for beds: a cOnical heap of the
manure on wide board viii also do we'll;
fhese caa bc carried INFO cellars where the
mixing Of manure uoaid be Objectionable.
The beds should be spawned when their
tempela-ura remains at rs degrees. Prepared
spawa II fonad il the seed trade at all times,
snd may be KEEP. without tf0abie from year TO
year = few days before nsiRg the spawn 1t is
ssdys.ble to expose il TO L moderately warm
moisture w3s:ch viii ensure its rapid growth.
The spawn comes in the form of bricks; it
sh0Rid b. broken Up IN pieces about the length
and thickness Of the hand 5r half that width,
and inserted INTO the bed at q distance of ten
10 twelve inches each way; On beds twenty to
twenty four inches in height, which are mostly
IN use, il should be inserted in t~o rows, dove
tail fashion When the bed is under cover and
ia an even temperature, nothing need be done:
If however. the bed is exposed to change OF
weather, 1t must be covered with strawy mate
rial TO keep uniform temperature all around
tie he'd Under favorable circumstances the
spawn ought 70 show activity IN seven or eight
DAYS. Tt is advisable to look over and replace
such spawn as might not thrive. which can be
seen by the absence Of White niamentS IN the
material Fifteen TO twenty days later the
spawnsought to have taken possession Of the
whole bed and should come 10 the surface; the
ton aud sides OF the bed should then be covered
with soil, for which light mould is preferable
TO that which is heavy; slightly moisten it
without making 1t too wet The covering with
soil should not exceed about one inch IN depth,
and be pressed strongly so as 10 adhere firmly.
Watering shonid only be done when the soil
becomes very dry Where a covering has been
removed TO perform any operation 1t must be
replaced at once. A few weeks after, accord
ing to She state Of the temperature, mushrooms
viii appear. Ia gathering them care should
be taken to I'll the empty spaces with the same
soil as used for the covering. Leaving the bed
10 itself il viii produce from two to three
months but its fertility may be prolonged by
careful waterings at a temperature of 66 de-
grees TO IS degrees Fahrenheit, with an ad-
mixture Of guano or saltpetre."
SELECTION OF SITES FOR CITY PARKS.
A writer in the Prairie Farmer makes some
valuable suggestions on the above subject. dc
FIRST alludes to the general custom Of selecting
some site which has superior natural advan-
ragas, commands fine views. and is otherwise
the most attractive and valuable position IN
the neighbOrhood. He then says that Al
most every city has within its limits some
portion of territory which l. not adapted for
business purposes, and is not attractive TO that
class Of inhabitants who can afford to choose the
location Of their residences. Such localities are
II first left vacant, bat as population increases
they are occupied first by sQuatters, then by
those who can afford nothing better, and finally
become the site Of tenement houses, or dens oil
resort for the worst class Of human beings, male
and female that the city contains. The orig
inaI cause Of the avoidance OF the place may
have been that ii was low and subject TO ma
larial influences Or Of sach typographical char
acser that il could only be adapted TO residence
purposes az very great cost"
HE advises the reclamation of such places
for city parks. If low. wet, and productive OF
diseases. it can be drained, graded and planted
E.th trees. shrubs and flowers and thus rem
6ered healthy and attractive. This win in
evitaiJly also change the character Of surround
ing property. as il viii inciJe improvements
End increase its value: so that il may become
Of essential importance 70 a city 10 select such
So Il Il.
beauty and renderthem healthy and attractive
instead q allowing them TO become plague
spots and breeding-places Tor al kinds of mora
and physical diseases
ROOFING CUTTINGS
We observe an article going the rounds o
the rural papers calling attention TO a supposed
new method, lately adopted by European hor
ticBtGrists, Of making cuttings of roses ani
other plants by bending the shoots and insert
Ing both ends ia the ground. leaving singl
bud uncovered at the middle and on the sur
face Of the ground. The cuttings are mad
about ten inches in length, and are bent owe
stick laid Fat on the ground, holes being mad
on each side Of the stick for the reception O
the ends Of the shoot. The roots form only Of
the lower end Of the shoot. bat the other enl
being buried prevents evaporation and dry
ing mp.
This is not new suggestion, as we remem
Der seeing ii over twenty-five years ago Blu
it recognizes an important point in the man
sgcnent Of cuttings made Of ripened Shoots
such as the grape, currant, go0seberry, willol
and other plants which may be Propagated b
cuttings Of ripened wood or shoots, in the fal
and that IS the necessity Of leaving but a sIna
portion OF the cutting exposed TO the dryin
influence Of the atmosphere. But this can
effected without bending down the cuttiny
which can be inserted deep enough in the sol
60 that only the top bud is left exposed. Tn
Is point which accounts for failures or SUI
cesses Ii any portion Of the shoot is expose
il is soon dried Up, and the formation Of roo
is retarded or prevented by the exhaustion
the sap by evaporation.
THE osIER WILLOW.
But little attention has been paid TO Il
growth Of the osier willow IN this country. 2
though it viii grow almost everywhere, and
easily prop2gated and transplanted. An err
necus opinion prevails that willows viii on
grow IN wet, boggy ground; this is not strict
true. although it viii grow well in soils t
wet for grain crops. Low wet, DOGGY plac
may be fitted for willow culture if draining
practicable. BY throwing up the ground
ridges, having deep burrows between them, &
ridges may be planted with success. There
also difference IN their adaptation TO sol
All the osiers, or matchmaking willows, W
grow on damper soils than will suit the mo
woody, brittle kinds as rule, willows q
tougher when grown on strong loan, inclini
70 clay, than on any other soil; but no bask.