the middle of April the plants will be ftrong enough 

 to ridge out, you muft therefore be provided with a 

 heap of new dung, in proportion to the quantity of 

 holes you intend to plant, allowing one load to fix 

 holes. When your dung is fit for ufe, you muft dig 

 a trench about two feet four inches wide, and in 

 length juft as you pleafe, or the place will allow; 

 and if the foil be dry, it fhould be ten inches deep, 

 but if wet, very little in the ground, levelling the 

 earth in the bottom ; then put in your dung, ob- 

 ferving to ftir and mix every part of it as was direfted 

 for the firft hot-beds, laying it clofe and even. 

 When this is done, you muft make holes about eight 

 inches over, and fix inches deep, juft in the middle 

 of the ridge, and thrte feet and a half diftance from 

 each other •, and if there be more than one ridge, the 

 diftance of thofe ought to be eight feet and a half 

 from each other; then fill the holes with good light 

 earth, putting a ftick into the middle of each for a 

 mark, and afterwards cover the ridge over with earth 

 about four inches thick, laying the earth the fame 

 thicknefs round the fides. When the earth is levelled 

 fmooth, you muft fet the glafles on upon the holes, 

 leaving them clofe down about twenty-four hours, in 

 which time the earth in the holes will be warmed 

 fufficiently to receive the plants ; then with your -hand 

 ftir up the earth in the holes, making it hoUowin form 

 of a bafon •, into each of wliich you fhould plant three 

 Of four plants, obfcrving to water and fhade them until 

 they have taken root ; after which time you muft be 

 careful to give them a little air by raifing the glafTes 

 on the oppofitc fide to the wind, in proportion to 

 the heat of the weather, as alfo to water them as you 

 Ihall fee tliey require it \ but you muft only raife the 

 glufics in the rniddle of the day, until the plants fill 

 the glaifes, at which time you fhould raife the glafTes 

 with a forked ftick on the fouth fide, in height pfo- 

 . portionable to the gro'^th ^of the pl'aftfe, that they 

 may h<6t be/corched by the fun -, this alfo will harden 

 " and prepare th^ plants to endure' the open air, but 

 - you ftiould fiof cKpofe them too foon thereto -, for it 



\ 



guft, after which time the coldnefs of the feafon ren- 

 ders them unwholefome, efpccially if the autumn 

 prove wet. 



From thefe ridges people commonly preferve their 

 Cucumbers for feed, by making choice of two or 

 three of the faireft fruit upon each hole, never leaving 

 above one upon a plant, and that fituated near the 

 root of it; for if you leave more, they will weaken 

 the plant fo much, that your other fruit will be fmall, 

 and fewer in number : but' thofe perfons who value 

 themfelves upon producing Cucumbers very early, 

 commonly leave three or four Cucumbers of the firft 

 produce of their earlieft crop, when the fruit is fair 5 

 and the feeds of thefe early fruit, are generally pre- 

 ferred to any other for the firft crop. Thefe fliouldre- 

 main upon the Vines until the middle or end of Auguft, 

 that the feeds may be perfeftly ripe ; and when you 

 gather them from the Vines, it will be proper to fet the 

 fruit in a row upright againft a hedge or wall, where 

 they may remain until the outer cover begins to de- 

 cay ; at which time you fliould cut them open, and 

 fcrape out the feeds, together with the pulp, into a 

 tub, which fhould be afterwards covered with a board, 

 to prevent filth from getting amongft the pulp. In 

 this tub it ftiould be fuffered to remain eight or ten 

 days, obferving to ftir it well with a long iTick to the 

 bottom every day, in order to rot the pulp, that it 

 may be eafily fcparated from the feeds j then pour 

 fome water into the tub, ftirring it well about, which 

 will raife the fcum to the top, but the feeds will fettle 

 to the bottom •, fo that by two or three times pouring 

 in water, and afterwards ftraining it off from the 

 feeds, they will be perfectly cleared from the pulpj 



■Ithen'^yoU mould fpread the feeds upon a mat, which 

 fhould be expofed to the open air three or fouf days 



< until they are perfedly dry, when they may be put 



]\ up in bags, aftd hung up in a dry place where ver- 

 min cannot come tb them, where they will keep good 



- for feveral years, but are generally preferred when 

 three or four years old, as being apt tO produce kfs 

 vigorous, but riibre fruitful plants. 



often happens, that, there are morning frofts in May, I fhall, in the next place, proceed to give difeftions 



which are many times deftruftive to thefe plants when 

 expofed thereto ; it is therefore the fureft method to 



- preferve them under the glafi^es, as long as they can 

 be kept in without prejudice to the plants ; and if 

 the glafics are raifed with two bricks on the backfide, 

 and the forked ftick on the other fide, they may be 

 kept in a great wliile without danger. 

 Towards the latter end of M^y, when the weather 

 appears fettled and warm, you fhould turn your plants 



■ down gently out of the glaffes ; but do not perform 

 this in a very dry, hot, funny day, but rather when 

 there is a cloudy fky, and an appearance of rain ; 

 you muft in doing of this raife the glaflTes either upon 

 bricks, or forked fticks, whereby they mayftandfe-. 

 cure at about four or five inches high from the 

 ground, that the plants may lie under them without 

 bruifing ; nor ftiould you take the glaflTes quite away 

 till the latter end of June, or the beginning of July, 

 for thefe will preferve the moifture much longer to 

 their roots than if they were quite expofed to the 

 open air-, about three weeks after you have turned 

 the plants out of the glafi^es, they will have made a 

 confiderable progrefs, efpecially if the weather has 

 been favourable, at which time you fhould dig up the 

 fpaces of ground between the ridges, laying it very 

 even ; then lay out the runners of the Vines in exadt 

 order, and be careful in this work not to difturb the 

 Vines too much, nor to bruife or break the leaves ; 

 this digging of the ground will loofen it, and thereby 

 render it eafy for the roots of the plants to ftrike into 

 ic, as alfo render the furface of the earth more 

 agreeable to the Vines that run upon it. After this 

 there will be no farther care needful, but only to keep 

 them clear from weeds, and to water them as often 

 AS they fiiall require, which they will foon ftiew, by 

 the hanging of their greater leaves. The ridges, 

 thus managed, will continue to produce large quan- 

 tities of fruit from June until the latter end of Au- 



^ , 3 



for managing Cucumbers for the kit crop, or what ^ 

 are generally called picklerS* ' 



■ U^f^^:^i 





The feafon for fowing thefe is towards the latter ind 

 of May, when the weather is fettled. The ground 

 where thefe are commonly fown, is between Cauli- 

 flowers, in the wide rows, between which are allowed 

 four feet and a half fpace when the Cauliflowers were 

 planted. In thefe rows you fhould dig up fquare 

 holes at about three feet and a half diftance from 

 each other, breaking the earth well with a Ipade, and 

 afterwards fmodthing and hollowing it in the form 

 of a bafon with your hand ; then put eight or nine 

 feeds into the 'middle of each hole, covering them 

 over with earth about half an inch thick 5 and if it 

 fhould be very dry weather, it will be proper to water 

 the holes gently in a day or two after the feeds are 

 fown, in order to facilitate their vegetation. 

 In five or fix days, if the weather be good, your 

 plants will begin to thruft their heads above ground ; 

 at which time you fhould be very careful to keep off 

 the fparrows, which are very fond of the young ten- 

 der feed-leaves of thefe plants ; and, if they are ftot 

 prevented, will deftroy your whole crop : but as it is 

 not above a week that the plants are in danger, it 

 will be no great trouble to look after them during 

 that time 5 for when the plants are come Up, and 

 have expanded their feed leaves, the fparrows will not 

 meddle with them. 



You muft alfo be careful to water them gently, as 

 you find the drought of the feafon may require ; and 

 when you perceive the third or rough leaf of the 

 plants begin to appear, you muft pull out all the 

 weakcft plants, leaving only three or four of the moft 

 promifing and beft fituated in each hole, ftirring the 

 earth round about them with a fmall hoe to deftroy 

 the weeds, and raife the earth about the ftianks of 

 the plants, putting a little eartli between them, pf^f* 

 fing it gently down with your hand, that the plants 



may 



