Vegetable Growing 



VEGETABLE GROWING UNDER GLASS. 



By Nicholas Butterbach. 

 CUCUMBERS. 



Two types of cucumbers are grown in this country. 

 Most Americans desire the short type, ahhough the peo- 

 ple who know a good article and have the means to pay 

 for it prefer the English forcing cucumbers. In pre- 

 paring the bed place an inch or so of rough material in 

 the bench for drainage, then four inches of half-decayed 

 sod, from an old pasture if possible or from alongside of 

 a fence, and then two inches of rich garden soil mixed 

 with one-quarter of an inch of well-decayed manure. 

 If the soil is too heavy, sand should be added to make it 

 porous. Manure liquid is applied occasionally, as the 

 cucumbers like feeding. Plants can be started in flats 

 on square pieces of sods, or in three-inch pots, by filling 

 the pot half-way with soil only. When the young plants 

 are grown to from five to six inches the pots are filled 

 up with soil and these plants can then be planted out in 

 the beds as soon as the pots are filled with roots. The 

 best plan is to start three times as many plants as are 

 needed, so the most vigorous may be selected and planted 

 about three feet apart. Wire trellises are put up, which 

 I will not describe here as every gardener has his own 

 fancy for them. The vines, which grow with great 

 rapidity, are properly tied up to them with raffia. The 

 plants must not be left over-crowded with young growth. 



The White Spine cucumber is usually forced after the 

 second crop of lettuce in January. Previous to setting 

 the plants trenches are dug from one end of the house 

 to the other, 18 inches deep and one foot wide. Fer- 

 menting manure is put into these trenches about ten 

 inches deep, packed and filled up with soil to the level 

 of the bed. This will make a depth of soil of eight 

 inches. The plants are set three feet apart, and ample 

 space must be given between the rows so the vines may 

 be trained ten feet upward on two opposing, sloping 

 trellises. 



Leading varieties of the English cucumber are Tele- 

 graph, Duke of Edinborough, Lion House. Lord Ken- 

 yon's Favorite, Covent Garden Favorite, Lockies Per- 

 fection, and Rockfort's Market. The English varieties 

 should be planted at least four feet apart in the rows, two 

 plants at a place for training in opposite directions. 

 Pollination is not necessary for these kinds. And the 

 cucumber without seed is more shapely than the seed- 

 bearing fruit. White Spine and its types must be fer- 

 tilized. In pollinating, take the staminate flower, strip 

 back the corolla, and insert the column of the inthers into 

 the pistillate flower. 



A'ery few vegetables require so much attention as cu- 

 cumbers until they are established. Mildew, fungi, and 

 aphis will attack them — a great enemy of the cucumber 

 being the black aphis. Persistent fumigating will de- 

 stroy the aphis, but care must be taken not to fume tfoo 

 much at a time, as the plants cannot endure it. The 

 powdered mildew appears usually if the house is kept too 

 close, and the atmo.sphere too moist, in connection with 

 too soft foliage. To eradicate it, the house should be 

 kept dry, the temperature raised, and plenty of air given ; 

 and sulphur should be placed on the pipes. The spotted 

 mite is the worst of all enemies of the cucumber. They 

 feed upon the under side of the leaves. Syringing twice 

 a day to knock them off, or using fir-tree oil, one-half 

 pint in tv^'O gallons of water, applying it with a sprayer or 

 syringe, are the best remedies I know of. 



TOMATOES. 



From the sowing of the seed, to secure ripe fruit re- 

 quires from four to five months Seeds are generally 

 sown in flats and transplanted twice. The houses should 

 be light and warm with a headroom of at least five feet. 

 They like a rich soil, good friable loam with one-fourth 

 of well-rotted manure, or sheep manure, and fine ground 

 bone for stimulating. Bottom heat is required, and the 

 temperature of the house should be from 60° to 65° at 

 night with a rise of about 10° to 15° in daytime. Lorri- 

 lard is considered the best for winter, and Mayflower 

 for spring crop. They are planted two feet apart in the 

 lied and trained to a single stem. The lateral shoots are 

 pinched off and the plant trained to a string in an up- 

 right position. Some gardeners leave two shoots, or 

 stems, but I prefer the former method. When the clus- 

 ters become too heavy they ought to be tied up. In water- 

 ing, water very thoroughly without drenching them. In 

 the early part of the growth the atmosphere of the house 

 should be kept moist and the walks wetted on sunny 

 days. If the plants are attacked by red spider the foliage 

 should be syringed. At the time of pollination the house 

 must be kept dry. Pollination is done by tapping the 

 plant several time a day, or by transferring the pollen 

 by hand. 



BEANS. 



Beans can be grown on benches, in boxes or pots. They 

 must have rich moist soil, good bottom heat and plenty of 

 light. From seven to eight inches of soil are needed in the 

 benches. Never allow the soil to become dry, and yet do 

 not over-wet it. A temperature from 65° upwards is 

 needed. Beans may be planted direct in benches or, if 

 the benches are occupied, started in pots. After the 

 blossoms appear they require some liquid manure at least 

 once a week. Beans are self-fertile and no artificial pol- 

 lination is necessary. Some of the best varieties for 

 forcing are the Mohawk, Green Flageolet and Dwarf 

 German. 



CARROTS. 



The stump-rooted or half-long sorts are mostly used 

 for forcing. Early Scarlet Thorn is the earliest of all. 

 Flalf-long Nantes is also used. From three to four 

 months are required to secure a good bottom for carrots. 



BEETS AND TURNIPS. 



Beets are very seldom grown as a main forcing crop. 

 They are generally grown between late tomatoes or cu- 

 cumbers. If they are grown by themselves they require 

 the temperature of a lettuce house, the same as carrots. 

 Turnips should have the same treatment. 



CELERY. 



The seeds should be sown early in January, and the 

 young plants pricked out in February into other flats, 

 about three inches apart About a month later they can 

 be planted in a lettuce house and kept cool as for lettuce. 

 They cannot be forced, or they will run to seed. From 

 six to eight weeks after the planting they are ready for 

 blanching. Heavy wrapping paper is mostly used for 

 this purpose. 



PARSLEY. 



Seed is sown in spring in the open ground. In the 

 fall the roots are lifted and planted in a lettuce house. 

 The sunlight ought to be kept off for a few days after 

 transplanting. Parsley will thrive in almost any corner 

 of the house. 



