which has not yet produced mushrooms. In this country
this kind of spawn may be procured of any respectable nurseryman, under
the name of 'French spawn.' It differs from English spawn by being in
the form of small tufty cakes, instead of in compact blocks. Large
mushroom growers, however, always provide themselves with their own
spawn by taking it from a bed which is just about to produce its crop,
or which has already produced a few small mushrooms.... It is true that
by thus 'breeding in and in,' as it were, the mushrooms show a tendency
to deteriorate after a time; new spawn must therefore be obtained as
soon as any signs of deterioration begin to manifest themselves."

=Making French Virgin Spawn.=--Condensed from Lachaume's book on
mushrooms. Take five or six barrow loads of horse droppings that have
lain in a heap for some time, and lost their heat, and mix them with
one-fourth of their bulk of short stable litter. Then, in April, open a
trench two feet wide, twenty inches deep, and length to suit, at the
foot of, but eight inches distant from, a wall facing north. In the
bottom of the trench spread a layer three to four inches deep of chopped
straw, then an equally thick layer of the prepared manure, all pressed
firmly by treading it down. The two layers must now be gently watered,
and then another double layer of chopped straw and droppings must be
laid, trodden down and watered, and so on until the top of the trench is
reached. The bed ought to rise above the level of the ground and be
rounded off like the top of a trunk. To prevent excessive dampness from
heavy rain cover the mound with a thick layer of stable litter. Three
months after filling the trench it should be opened at the side or end.
If the pieces of manure are well covered with masses of bluish-white
filaments, giving off the odor of mushrooms, the operation has
succeeded, and the spawn is fit for use or for drying to preserve for
future use. But if the threads are only sparingly scattered through the
mass, the trench should be covered up again and left for another month.
In saving the spawn the flakes of manure containing the largest amount
of spawn filaments should be retained, and those showing a brown
appearance rejected. In order to facilitate the drying of the spawn the
flakes should be broken into pieces, weighing from one to two pounds;
they are then placed in a well ventilated shed, but they must not be
piled upon each other. Properly prep