268 



Bulletin 231. 



C. Forcing English Cucumbers. 



The work with cucumbers at Cornell forcing houses has been al- 

 most entirely with those of the English type. These are the long, 

 slim varieties growing often from eighteen to twenty-four inches in 

 length, very regular in shape, crisp and delicate in flavor. This 

 type of cucumber should be grown in shaded houses, the large 

 succulent leaves burning if exposed to full sunlight. This shading of 

 the house makes pollination rather difficult unless the house is held 



Fig. 15. — Great commercial Jiouse of G. M . Kendall. 



dry through the middle of the day while fruit is being set. On the 

 other hand over-dryness encourages red spider. Cucumbers are 

 picked green, usually before they have reached their full growth; in 

 consequence the vines may be maintained in full vigor and in 

 fruiting condition for an almost indefinite period if plants are 

 healthy and food is furnished in sufficient quantity. The culture 

 of this crop is, with the exception of a shaded house, similar to that 

 of growing melons. 



Among the varieties tested, Duke of Edinburgh, Rollinson's Tele- 

 graph, Lockies Perfection, Covent Garden and Lion House Im- 

 proved are considered the best kinds for forcing in this locality. 



