se the earth from between the ridges, which has been
manured regularly every year for a couple of hundred years or more. The
mold is put on evenly with the spade and is about two inches thick at
the base of the ridge and one inch thick at top, and well firmed by
beating with the back of the spade; indeed, the ridges are now commonly
watered through a water-pot rose, again beaten very firmly and the
surface left smooth and even. This smooth surface readily sheds rain
water, but I question if it has any advantage over a well-firmed
unglazed surface. After molding the beds are covered with litter, that
is, the rankest straw that had been shaken out of the manure, to a depth
of four, six, eight, or ten inches, according to the state of the bed
and weather; if the bed is inclined to be cool or if the weather is
cold, thicken the covering.

Drenching or long drizzling rains are more injurious to the beds than is
cold, and in order to ward them off old Russia mats and any other sort
of cloth or carpet covering obtainable is laid over the litter on the
beds and weighted down with poles, boards, stones, or anything else that
is convenient. Do not disturb this covering for about four weeks, and
then on a dry day strip it off and shake up the litter loosely so as to
dry it. If there is any white mold on the surface of the soil take a
handful of straw and rub it off. If the bed is rather cold put a layer
of clean, dry hay next the bed, and on top of this replace the littery
covering.

[Illustration: FIG. 27. THE COVERED RIDGES.]

The first beds are made in August, and one or more every month after
till March, just as time, convenience and material permit. Summer beds
are not attempted unless in exceptional cases. The bulk of the beds are
generally put in in September and October. In early fall, also in
spring, beds yield mushrooms in about six weeks after spawning; in
winter they take eight or nine weeks or more, much depending on the
weather.

In cold weather the mushrooms are gathered at noon-day; if the weather
is windy and it is possible to postpone gathering for another day this
is done, as the litter can not be replaced satisfactorily in windy
weather. In gathering the mushrooms one man carefully pulls the straw
down from the top of the bed, rolling it toward him; another gathers the
mushrooms (pulling them out by the roots, never cutting them) into
baskets, and a third man covers up the bed. In this way the three men go