Page:The Garden Mushroom.pdf/43

 burning, which probably may be in a few days, or a week, in moderate beds; in others two or three weeks. This you will readily judge of by the sticks placed in the bed, as above, or according as the weather proves more or less favourable; heavy rains, &c. may oblige you to cover in sooner than you intended, in order to preserve the spawn.

For the purpose of covering, you may provide either clean straw, or long dry horse-stable litter, sufficient to lay about half a foot thick at first, but gradually increased afterwards of due thickness to defend the bed effectually from the air, rain, and inclement weather, and to preserve a low kindly warmth.

As soon as you apprehend all danger from heat to be over, let the bed be finally covered up with the aforementioned dry stable litter, or clean straw, observing to shake the