kes of spawn are treated as described in the directions given for
the first method of making spawn."

=Third Method= (by Lachaume). "By filling in a trench like that
described in the first method, by a series of layers of one-third of
pigeon or fowl guano, and two-thirds of short manure, containing a large
proportion of spent horse droppings, treading it down firmly, watering
it if it is too dry, and finishing up with a layer of soil, as described
already, we may, at the end of a couple of months, or even a little
longer, procure a supply of well-formed cakes of spawn of excellent
quality, which may be used in the ordinary manner."

From Mr. Robinson's "Mushroom Culture." "This (French) spawn is obtained
by preparing a little bed, as if for mushrooms, in the ordinary way, and
spawning it with morsels of virgin spawn, if that is obtainable; and
then when the spawn has spread through it, the bed is broken up and used
for spawning beds in the caves, or dried and preserved for sale."

From Mr. Wright's book on mushrooms. "French spawn ... is contained in
flakes of manure. Neither is it virgin spawn, nor derived immediately
from it, ... but is spawn taken from one bed for impregnating another."

=Relative Merits of Flake and Brick Spawn.=--The flake or French spawn
costs about three times as much as the brick or English spawn, and, as
it is so much whiter with mycelium than is the brick spawn, many
believe that it is more potent and well worth the additional cost. In
spawning the beds I use two pounds of flake spawn to plant the same
space for which I would use five pounds of brick spawn, and this gives a
capital crop, with number of mushrooms a little in favor of the flake
spawn, but on account of the larger size of the mushrooms the weight of
crop is considerably in favor of the brick spawn. And I find more
certainty of a crop in the case of the brick spawn than in the other.

Regarding the respective merits of brick and flake spawn, Mr. Barter, in
response to my inquiry, writes me: "I have tried them both, and know
brick spawn to be far the best. You see, I do nothing but this mushroom
business for a living, so, of course, would use the best kind of spawn
for my crop. Generally the French spawn produces one-third less
mushrooms than does the brick spawn from the same length of bed,
besides, those from the brick spawn are by far the heaviest and
fleshiest."

I would here observe that Mr. Barter's remarks apply more to