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JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ April 2B, 1867. 



zone when grown out of doora. As pot plants nothing can be 

 more beautiful; but I am not now dwelling on pot plants, but 

 on those suitable for bedding purposes. 



It wUl be noticed that I have said nothing upon Nosegays. 

 The truth is, I have not yet overcome my prejudice against 

 them. I mean, however, this year to try a few, and see 

 whether, when constantly under one's eye, the prejudice against 

 them may not wear off. I am ready to admit the variety of 

 shades of colour amongst them, shades as yet not obtained in 

 the Zonal section ; but I do not like their raggedness, nor do I 

 see that they are more free in flowering or more enduring than 

 the Zonal section. 



I do not doubt that many will differ from me in the conclu- 

 sions I have come to. I can only say that they have been 

 formed on rather a wide acquaintance, and that, having seen the 

 varieties in many places, those I have named seem to me, taking 

 all the requisites into consideration, to be the best. Let us 

 hope that a more favourable season than last will enable us to 

 judge concerning many of the newer varieties, which as yet we 

 have been unable to do. — D., Deal. 



A CONTINUOUS SUPPLY OF CUCUMBERS. 



Much has been said, and well said, about the cultivation of 

 Cucumbers, their diseases, and their failures in the winter 

 time. It is no easy matter under many circumstances, even 

 with good appliances, to secure a regular supply at all seasons, 

 especially in winter ; the plants require careful tending at all 

 times, and I have known many failures, even in spring and 

 Bummer, when the means were limited. 



I do not for a moment suppose that there is anything novel 

 in what I am now advancing about the cultivation of Cucum- 

 hers in winter, but it may be useful to describe a method 

 founded on long practice, and which has attained the object 

 aimed at — namely, a supply all the year round, though I have 

 not, like many of my more favoured brethren, a house specially 

 devoted to the cultivation of Cucumbers. I have a fruiting 

 Pine-stove heated on the Hamiltonian system ; hot water flow- 

 ing in cemented tanks or gutters, covered over with blue slates, 

 supplying the bottom heat. The house is a lean-to, ventilated 

 iback and front with sliding doors, but there is no ventilation 

 at the top. Along the back of the house is a path, and a tank 

 or gutter runs parallel with it to give off a certain amount of 

 top heat ; over this tank is constructed a trough or box, and a 

 Bpace of about 9 inches is left from the top of the tank to the 

 fcottom of the trough or box, which forms the future Cucum- 

 i)er-bed. This receives bottom heat from the tank, as well as 

 from the side of the bed in which the Pines are planted out. 

 The place for the bed is about '20 inches deep, and the bottom 

 is pierced with holes to permit the water to escape ; these are 

 covered with large hollow crocks, and the bottom with 4 inches 

 deep of broken bricks or other rough material as drainage, a 

 proper amount of which is very essential for the future well- 

 doing of the plants. Above the drainage is placed about an 

 inch of rough charcoal, and over it moss or some other 

 covering. 



We are situated near a river, and the soil being of a heavy 

 retentive nature we are obliged to add to it many ingredients 

 to keep it porous. For Cucumbers I form the compost as 

 follows :---I procure the best turfy loam which is to be had, 

 lay it up in a stack for some time previous to use, and to each 

 bushel of this roughly broken I add half a peck of good sound 

 leaf mould, one peck of thoroughly decomposed dung, half a 

 peek of charcoal dust, a sprinkling of bone dust, a little soot, 

 and a small quantity of river sand to keep the mass open. 

 The whole being well incorporated together, I have a porous 

 compost through which the water passes quickly. This, in my 

 opinion, is one of the first steps to success. 



The place and soil for the bed being ready, we put in an up- 

 right rod, and fasten it to the rafter to tie the plants to as 

 they advance in growth. We allow the plants a certain space 

 to each by placing a partition between them, so that in case of 

 need a plant can be removed without interfering with its 

 neighbour. This being done, the sou is put into as many 

 spaces as are required, placing the roughest portion of the 

 compost at the bottom, and making the soU about 10 inches 

 deep, so as to leave room for top-dressing with rich compost 

 when the plants require it. The bed is allowed to remain a 

 few days before planting, in order to acquire a genial tempera- 

 ture ; and when this is the case the plants, which have been 

 previonsly prepared, are planted about the end of September. 



After planting, a gentle watering with tepid water is given, 

 using a little weak liquid manure water as occasion may 

 require. As they advance in growth they are secured to the 

 upright rods until they reach the rafters, and are then trained 

 over the pathway to rods fastened to the rafters and extending 

 the whole length of the house, forming when in fruit a sight 

 well worth seeing. 



By the above mode of culture, and other means, I secure a 

 supply of Cucumbers throughout the year without disease or 

 those unsightly club-hke fiuit so often complained of. When 

 other Cucumber plants come into bearing in spring, those 

 grown for winter production are taken away and renewed in 

 the autumn, as I prefer young plants, so that I have no ex- 

 perience to relate about stems as thick as walking-sticks, or 

 lasting for years. I have practised this system for years, and 

 it has answered the purpose intended ; and I shall be happy if 

 the facts stated prove of service even to one individual. — 

 Vekiias. 



At this place I have charge of a small house, 11 feet long, 

 11 feet wide, and 8 feet high at the back. There is a bed or 

 pit in front for Cucumbers, 11 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet 

 6 inches deep. The house is heated by six pipes — namely, a 

 three-inch flow-and-return at the back, a two-inch flow-and- 

 return in front, and in the pit, 6 inches from the bottom, four- 

 inch flow-and-return pipes, respectively 6 inches clear of the 

 front and back waUs of the pit, with an interval of 15 inches 

 between the pipes. Above the pipes there is an 18-inch 

 chamber, six pillars, 6 inches square, being built from the 

 bottom, and two wattled hurdles placed lengthwise upon the 

 tops of the pillars. On the hurdles are laid a few rough 

 branches or faggots opened out, and then some good rough soil 

 of a light nature mixed with rotten dung and leaf mould. 

 This house was put up two years ago last summer, and since 

 then I have had very good fruit. From November, 1865, to 

 the end of May, 1866, I cut some hundreds of Cucumbers. I 

 then pulled up the plants, cleared out the old soil, and gave 

 the house two good coats of whitewash, hot lime, and sulphur 

 mixed together. Fresh loam, stiffer than for Cucumbers, was 

 then put in, and some good strong Melon plants planted where 

 Cucumbers had been. Plenty of fire heat was afforded, and 

 attention was paid to syringing and applying manure water, 

 and the result last summer was a crop of nineteen good fruit. 



After the Melons are over the house should be again cleared 

 out, and strong Cucumber plants planted by October to produce 

 in winter and spring. After planting water rather sparingly, 

 and as the plants become stronger give them a little weak 

 manure water ; but when they begin to bear increase the 

 strength. 



For the last two months I have given my plants about ten 

 gallons of strong manure water, and on the 28rd of March I 

 coiinted sixty fruit, from 3 to 15 inches long, whilst some of 

 the leaves were 13 inches across. 



I do not much approve of the tank system of Cucumber ctll- 

 ture, especially for whiter. It has failed at several gentlemen'g 

 places near Bath, after the plants were about 8 feet long. It 

 appears not to afford facilities for enough of drainage, for 

 the roots going down to the hard tank, owing to watering, be- 

 come rotten, and the plants die. If I had charge of a Cucum- 

 ber-house with a tank, I would place boards on bricks so as 

 to form a chamber 6 inches, or, better, 1 foot high (or several 

 faggots might be used instead of boards), and on this platform 

 I would place soil for the plants. — G. L. Deummond, Gardener, 

 Highbridge Hill, near Bath. 



TRAINING VINES. 



Will Mr. Thomson kindly explain in your Journal the 

 position of the summer shoots on his Vines, with the rods or 

 stems 2J feet apart ; also, how short they are pruned in the 

 winter, as most of the Vines I have seen are from 40 to 

 42 inches apart ? Secondly, What weight of Grapes from a rod 

 19 feet long, does he consider to be a good crop, in April, in 

 June, and in August ; or wUl the Vines at each season bear an 

 equal weight ? — G. 



[In reply to " G.," let me say, that he wiU have observed 

 that I advise that two rods should be grown from each Vine, 

 " not closer together than 21 feet." If he finds this too close 

 he can give them a Httle more space. I grow them so m 

 several houses, and wider apart in others ; but writing princi- 

 pally to guide amateurs who have not much space to spare, I 



