GARDEN VEGETABLES — THE CUCUMBER. 



with a bell glass, or other similar substitute, but not too close ; leave a small 

 opening for the extreme moisture to escape, to prevent damping. At any other 

 season, the best place is the warmest part of a forcing-house, and the addition of 

 a little bottom warmth ; water rather sparingly until roots are emitted, but keep 

 the soil moist. Layers may be rooted in the following manner : Choose a short- 

 jointed shoot ; have a four-inch pot in readiness half filled with the above-mentioned 

 soil ; sink it up to the rim directly under the intended layer ; cut off the third or 

 foui'th leaf from the top down to the axil, and bend this joint into the pot until it 

 touches the earth ; next till up to near the top, and place a stone over the whole, 

 to keep the branch from springing ; give water as may be required, and, in three 

 weeks, the newly rooted plant may be cut off, and planted where needed. If a 

 supply of fruit be wanted for fall and midwinter use, the seed may be sown, or 

 the above operations performed about the beginning of August. 



When the cuttings or layers are well rooted, or the seedling plants have got 

 three rough leaves, they will be ready for planting in their fruiting quarters, which 

 should be the warmest part of the hothouse, or as shown in the plan, and either 

 placed near the glass, or trained up with a straight stem until the top arrives 

 thereat, when it may be nipped out. The after-training will be the same as ex- 

 plained for out-door culture, only each branch will need to be tied so as to keep 

 the leaves near the under side of the roof, in the same way that grape-vines are 

 managed. A box or pot containing three cubic feet, will hold soil enough for a 

 plant during the season, which ought to be well drained by putting two inches of 

 broken crocks or charcoal in the bottom. Liquid manure will have to be applied 

 occasionally during active growth, and this may be diluted drainings from the 

 stable, or guano dissolved in the proportion of one ounce to a gallon. Keep the 

 temperature at 60° by night, with a rise of ten to fifteen degrees during sunshine, 

 and maintain a moist atmosphere. 



Forcing hy Dung-Beds. — The Cucumber may be successfully grown as an early 

 spring crop on a hot dung-bed, covered by a box frame and glass sashes. Com- 

 mence by putting together a heap of fresh, unfermented horsedung, and, if leaves 

 are at hand, add one-third in bulk ; when the whole becomes well heated up, turn it 

 over, still keeping it together, to prevent any check in the fermentation, and in a 

 few days it will be ready for use. Choose a dry spot ; measure off two feet wider 

 and longer than the size of the box frame ; excavate this area two feet deep, in 

 which build up the bed to the height of four feet from the bottom ; place on the 

 frame and sashes immediately, which will protect from the cold, and assist fermen- 

 tation. Wait for a few days, and when the maximum heat is ascertained, and a 

 portion of the pungent smell has passed away, cover over the whole inside surface 

 with three inches deep of soil. A thermometer may now be hung up out of reach 

 of the sun, and so as not to touch the soil, and when it indicates 70° to 75° in the 

 morning, without any offensive effluvia, the bed is in a fit state for the plants or 

 seeds. A mound, containing the half of a wheelbarrowful of the before-described 

 compost, may now be placed under the centre of each sash, levelling the top down 

 to one foot from the glass. Under this mound a tube of wood four inches diame- 

 ter, and open at both ends, should be introduced, the object being to let the ex- 

 treme heat pass off from beneath the roots. If the plants have been previously 

 prepared, they may now be turned out of the pots, and planted in the "hills," or 

 the seeds may be sown in the same places. With the variations of the weather, 

 these beds work very unevenly in temperature, which makes a covering of boards 

 around the sides of much service. At night, the glass also will have to be covered 



straw mats or shutters, and if, with this, the thermometer happen to rang 

 during mild changes, the glasses may be tilted a little for the time being 



