26 CUCURBITACEZ. 
morn. noon, even. 
June from 62° to 85° from 80° to 98° from 67° to 90° 
July 61 — 79 72 — 105 69 — 95 
August —— 60 — 78 —— 80 — 96 —— 70 — 89 
September 69 — 80 —— 74 — 100 —— 72 — 97 
October 64 — 81 —— 71 — 101 —— 68 — 89 
November 62 — 82 —— 65 — 92 —— 61 — 80 
December 65 — 88 — 64 — 77 —— 58 — 71 
“ By the heat described in these tables, and plenty of water, 
the cucumber plants, the seeds of which were sown on the 22d 
day of October, were maintained in a healthy fruit-bearing state 
in the brick frame of my inventing, from the month of January 
to the beginning of December.” ‘The melon plants in the ma- 
nagement of the author, were kept in about the same degree of 
heat which he has given for the culture of the cucumber, in the 
forcing frames; and he ventures to predict that if any person 
keep melon or cucumber plants in nearly the same degrees of 
heat, as is set down in the foregoing plain tables, and manage the 
plants well in other respects, the way to do which he thinks he 
has clearly pointed out in this treatise, he is persuaded they will 
not fail in having success. He adds, that notwithstanding the 
objections of some who have not been successful in making trial 
of his bed, “ it is now generally approved of, and in practice by 
numbers of the best gentlemen’s gardeners in the kingdom, and 
by various market gardeners in the neighbourhood of London.” 
West’s pit, however, seems superior to M‘Phail’s, as requiring 
much less dung, presenting a much more neat and orderly ap- 
pearance, and giving a greater command of temperature. 
Cultivation of the cucumber in a common pit without flues.— 
Some form a narrow dung-bed along the middle of each pit, 
leaving room for adding a lining on each side when the heat de- 
clines. The method succeeds very well late in the season; but 
at an early period the sinking of the bed from the glass leaves 
the plants at a great distance from the light. 
Cultivation of the cucumber in stoves.—“ Cucumber plants,” 
M‘Phail observes, “ will grow in a hot-house, where the pine- 
apple is cultivated; but they will not be very long lived there, 
for that is not a healthy climate for them.” ‘ In August sow the 
seeds in boxes filled with vegetable or other light earth, and 
place them on shelves on the back side of the hot-house, where 
the sun may not be interrupted from shining on them in the 
short days. They may perhaps produce a few fruit in the month 
of December or January.” Gard. rememb. p. 301. Aber- 
crombie says, ‘some gardeners, ambitious of early fruit, try a 
sowing in the stove under the disadvantages of December. 
Fruiting this plant in the house in narrow boxes 3 feet long, and 
full 20 inches deep, may be found more commodious than pots. 
The boxes may stand upon the crib-trellising over the flues, or 
be suspended near the back wall, 18 inches from the upper tier 
of lights, so as not to shade the regular house plants: this is the 
best situation for a very early crop. The plants may be origi- 
nated in small pots, plunged into the bark-bed, in order to be 
transplanted with a half ball of earth into the borders. Those 
who aim to have fruit at Christmas introduce seedlings about the 
middle of August.” “ The chief deviation from the course of the 
hot-bed is, that the plants must be trained in the house up- 
right, for which purpose form a light temporary trellis of laths. 
Give water every other day at least.” Pract. Gard. p. 618. 
We have already quoted the particulars of Aiton’s method of 
raising cucumber plants in August, with a view to their being 
fruited in the stove through the winter. We now subjoin the 
remainder of that paper. ‘“ The plants being raised on a well 
prepared one light hot-bed, when the cotyledons or seed-leaves 
became nearly of full growth, the plants were potted out, two 
into each pot, known to gardeners about London by the name 
IV. Cucumis. . 
of upright thirty-twos. When these pots became filled with 
roots, the plants were again shifted into larger ones, called six- 
teens, and removed from the seed-bed into a three light frame, 
with a sufficient bottom heat to allow a considerable portion of 
air being given day and night, both in the front and back of the 
frame. About the middle of September, the plants having again 
filled their pots with roots, and become stocky, were taken 
from the frame to the stove, and after a few days received the 
last shifting into larger pots of the following dimensions : at top 
14 inches over, the bottom 10 inches across, and 12 inches deep, 
all inside measure; each pot at equal distances apart, having 
three side drain holes near the bottom, and a larger one in the 
centre of the bottom, and containing about three pecks of solid 
earth. The cucumber plants were fruited this season in a 
pinery. On the front edge of the back flue of this stove, a 
fascia-boarding, 6 inches deep, was affixed the whole length of 
the building, forming all along a trough or inclosure for a re- 
serve of compost, after the exhaustion of the mould in the pots 
had taken place. The pots were now placed in regular order 
upon the mould-trough over the flue at 3 feet apart, and re- 
mained in this station for good, for succession. A setting of the 
second sowing was placed upon the end flues of the house; un- 
derneath each pot were set an upright circular garden pan, 6 
inches deep, and 14 inches in diameter, which being filled with 
earth, the pots were plunged therein about 2 inches deep, and 
the drain holes being sufficiently covered with mould, served as 
outlets to the roots. From this time the fire heat of the stove 
was kept day and night at 60° or 65° of Fahrenheit’s thermo- 
meter, varying only a few degrees when the sudden influences of 
the sun or steam produced an additional glow of climate. The 
plants being now established and vigorous, required stopping the 
laterals and fruit; and these second and third lateral shoots in 
their turn were stopped also, and the blossoms from time to time 
set, as usual, for succession of supply. Waterings were neces- 
sary only when the surface of the earth was evidently dry, and 
light sprinklings of soft water, tempered in the stove, were occa- 
sionally given over the leaves of the plants and path with good 
effect. Steam from a well regulated flue was.considered always 
favorable to the cultivation, but applied sparingly on account of 
its scalding effect upon the leaves, when the vapour proved 
overheated. For the mildew, flower of brimstone, coloured 
leaf-green by a little soot, has been applied with the best suc- 
cess in all stages of the disease, and copious fumigations of 
tobacco were used for the destruction of the several species 0 
the aphis tribe. Under this simple practice winter cucumbers 
have been produced abundantly in the months of October, No- 
vember, December, and part of January, in all the royal gar- 
dens of His Majesty during a series of years.” Aiton ex encycl. 
gard. p. 642, 643. 
Cultivation of the cucumber in Week’s patent frame.—Only 
two instances in which this ingenious invention has been tried are 
known to us, both of which are mentioned at the end of “ Week’s 
Forcer’s Assistant.” The chief objection to it is, that the bed or 
stratum of earth in which the plants are grown, being but of mo- 
derate depth, and surrounded by air above and below, is ex- 
tremely difficult to retain at an equable moisture. There are 
several other structures for growing cucumbers and melons iÐ 
besides those mentioned above ; but none of them appear to us 
to be of much importance. 
On a mode of producing a crop of cucumbers during winter.— 
James Reed, (Gard. mag. 3. p. 23.) places his winter cucumber 
bed in a vinery. In this vinery the air could be admitted both 
by the front and top lights. About the 20th of September the 
cucumber seeds were sown on a moderate hot-bed in the open 
air, and heated in the usual manner until they were ready to 
ridge out. This generally happened about the beginning of 
8 
