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In Holland they cultivate a long white prickly Cu- 

 cumber only, which is very different from the Turkey 

 Cucumber, being near as rough as the common fort ; 

 but this is not fo hardy as our common fort, fo is fel- 

 dom cultivated in England \ but the fruit is not fo wa- 

 tery or full of feeds as the common, therefore is pre- 

 ferable to it for the table. 



The third fort here enunTtrated is rarely cultivated, 

 but in botanic gardens for the fake of variety, the 

 fruit being very indifferent, and the plants being 

 tender, require a good heat to bring them to perfec- 

 tifti in England ; thefe plants ramble very far, fo muft 

 have much room, and they are not very fruitful. 

 The common fort is cultivated in three different fea- 

 fons, the firft of which is on hot-beds under garden- 

 frames, for early fruit ; the fecond is under bell or 

 hand-glaffes, for the middle crop ; and the third is 

 in the common ground, for a late crop, or to pickle. 

 I Ihall begin with giving direftions for raifing Cu- 

 cumbers eariy, which is what moft gentlemens gar- 

 deners have an emulation to excel each other in •, and 

 fome have been at the pains and expence to have ripe 

 fruit in every month of the year, which is rather a cu- 

 riofity than any real advantage •, for Cucumbers 

 that are produced before April, cannot be fo whole- 

 fome as chofe that are later ; for before the fun hath 

 ftrength enough to warm the beds through the glaffes 

 in the day-time, all the heat muft proceed from the 

 fermentation of the dung, which muft confequently 

 occafion a very confiderable fteam, as alfo a great 

 quantity of air will be thereby generated, which, be- 

 ing pent up in the hot-bed, foon becomes rancid ; 



• and the fteam of the bed being by the cold of the 

 night condenfed into large drops of water, thefe, be- 

 ing abforbed or infpired by the plants, muft certainly 



' make the fruit crude and unwholefomie, efpecially 

 when the nights are very long. This, together with 

 the great expence and trouble of procuring them ear- 

 lier, having in fome meafure got the better of peoples 

 ambition, fo this is lefs pradtifed than it hadi been 

 fome years fince ; but as there are many perfons who 

 yet value themfelves on their Ikill in raifing early 

 Cucumbers, 'we may probably be cenfured, as being 

 deficient in what they call an effential part of garden- 

 ing, fhould we omit the method praftifed for raifing 

 thefe fruit early in the year. Therefore fliall proceed 



. to give fuch directions, as if carefully attended to, 

 will not fail of fuccefs. 



Thofe perfons who are very delirous to be early with 

 their Cucumbers, generally fow their feeds before 

 Chriftmas, but the generality of gardeners commonly 

 put their feeds into the hot-bed about Chriftmas. 

 Where perfons have the conveniency of a ftove for 

 raifing thefe plants, it is attended with lefs trouble 



- than a common hot-bed, and is a much furer me- 

 thod, becaufe the plants will have a much greater 

 Ihareof air, which will alfo be lefs mixed with damp 

 or rancid vapours ; for by the heat of the fires thefe 

 will be diffipated, and the temperature of the air is 

 kept more equal than can be done with all poflible 

 care in a hot-bed, at a feafon when we enjoy but lit- 

 tle fun -, therefore where there is this convenience, the 

 feeds fhould be fown in fmall pots, filled with light 

 dry earth, and plunged into the tan-bed, 'in the 

 warmeft part of the ftove. T.he pots with earth 

 fhould be plunged three or four days before the feeds 

 are fown, that the earth may be properly warmed to 

 receive them j the feeds ftiould be at leaft three or 



' foiir years old, but if it is more, provided it will grow, 



. it will be the better. If the feeds are good, the plants 



will be begin to appear in about a week or nine days, 



- at which time there muft be as many halfpenny pots 

 filled with dry light earth, as there are plants defign- 

 ed for planting (alv/ays allowing for lofs ; fo that where 

 t\venty-four plants are wanting, there Ihould be thirty 

 raifcd) ; thefe pots fliould be plunged into the bark- 

 bed, that the earth may be warmed to receive the 

 plants, which fliould be pricked into thefe pots as foon 

 as the two fii;ft leaves are raifed above ground ; into 

 each of thefe pots inay be two plants pricked, but 



give them too much 



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when they have taken root, and are fafc, the worft 

 ftiould be drawn out, being careful not to difturbthe 

 roots of thofe which are left. In the management of 

 thefe plants, there muft be great care taken not to 



water-, and it will be' very pro- 

 per to put the water into the Hove fome hours before 

 it is ufed, that the cold may be taken off; but there 

 muft be caution ufed not to make it too warm, for 

 that will deftroy the plants ; they muft alfo be guard- 

 ed from the moifture v/hich frequently drops from 

 the glaffes of the ftove, which is very deftrudtive to 

 thefe plants while young. As thefe plants muft not 

 be kept too long in the ftove left they become trou^ 

 blefome to the other plants, there ftiould be a proper 

 quantity of new dung prepared for m.aking a hot-bed 

 to receive them -, this muft be in proportion to the 

 quantity of holes or plants intended : for a middling. 

 family fix or nine lights of Cucumbers will be fuffici- 

 ent, and for a large one double the quantity ; but the 

 beds where they are defigned to remain need not be 

 rnade fo foon, but rather a fmall bed of one light, 

 in which the plants may be trained up, till they have 

 acquired a greater ftiare of ftrength •, and for this bed 

 one good cartload of dung will be fufficient. This 

 ftiould be nev/, and not too full of ftraw, nor ftiould 

 it want a proper portion -, it fliould be well mixed to- 

 gether and tlirov/n in a heap, mixing fome fea-coal 

 afl:ies with it ; after it hath lain in a heap a few days, 

 and has fermented, it ftiould be carefully turned over 

 and mixed, laying it up again in a heap ; and if there 

 is a great ftiare of ft raw in it, there may be a necefiity 

 for turning it over a third time, after having laid afev/ 

 days : this will rot the ftraw and mix it thoroughly 

 with the dung, fo there will be lefs danger of its burn- 

 ;^ing afterward when the bed is made, which fliould 

 'be done when the dung is in proper order. The 

 ^ place where tlieliot-bed is made fliould be well fliel- 

 terecf by Reed hedges, and the ground fliould be 

 dry; then there ftiould be a trench made in the 

 ' ground, of a proper length and breadth, and a foot 

 deep at leaft ; into which the dung fliould be wheeled 

 and carefully ftirred up and mixed, fo that 'no part of 

 it fliould be left unfeparated, for where there is not 

 this care taken, the bed will fettle unequally •, there 

 fliould alfo be great care taken to beat the dung down 

 clofe in every part of the bed alike. * When the bed 

 is made, the frame and glaffes fliould be put upon 

 it to keep out the rain, but there ftiould be no earth 

 laid upon the dung till two or three days after, that 

 the fteam of the dung may have time to evaporate. 

 If there fliould be any danger of the bed burning, it 

 will be proper to lay fome ftiort old dung, or fome 

 neats dung, over the top of the hot dung about two 

 inches thick, which will keep down the heat, and 

 prevent the earth from being burnt ; after this there ' 

 fhould be a fufiicient number of three farthing pots 

 placed upon the bed, filled with light dry earth, and 

 . all the interftices between them filled up with anycom- 

 mon earth. In two or three days the earth in thefe 

 pots will be of a proper temperature of warmth to re- 

 ceive the plants, which ftiould be then turned out of 

 the halfpenny pots, preferving the ball of earth to 

 their roots, and planted into the three farthing pots, 

 filling up the pots with good earth ; then a little wa- 

 ter ftiould be given them to fettle the earth about their 

 roots, being careful not to give them too much wet ; 

 and as thefe will have fuch large balls of earth to their 

 roots, they will not feel their movement, therefore 

 will not require ftiadingfrom the fun •, but the glaffes 

 fiiould be raifed up a little on the contrary fide from 

 the wind, to let the fteam of the bed pafs off; and 

 they ftiould alfo be frequently turned in the day- 

 time, that the wet occafioned by the fteam of the 

 dun^ may be dried, otherwife the moifture will fall 

 on the plants, which will be very injurious to them. 

 If the bed ftiould heat too violently, fo as to endan- 

 ger fcalding the roots of the plants, the pots may be 

 raifed fo as to allow of a little hollow at their bottoms, 

 which will effeftually prevent injury thereby; and 

 when the heat declines, the pots may be fettled down 



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