April 26, 1677. ) 



JOOBNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



tns'ghtly object amongst the other fine specimens Burronnd- i 

 ing it. Less patient gardeners than Mr. Legg would have | 

 removed this plant long since for the sake of the epace it \ 

 occupied; but his " waiting policy " has proved sound, and I 

 one more good exhibition plant will shortly be added to Mr. 

 Kalli's valuable collection. 



wheelbarrow. I have a man here who is slow in adopting 

 new contrivances, but he has appreciated this barrow from 

 the first. — Utilitas. 



WHEELBAEEOW. 



When I came here about twelve years ago there was a 

 Ekeletcn barrow and tub in use for carrying water about the 

 gardens, and another with a shallow box or tray about G inches 

 deep for carrying plants, etc. They were both useful, and had 

 been the means of saving much labour. 



But very soon a modern iron waterbarrow was found to far 

 snrpa-s the former, but the latter was kept in nee during 

 several years for the boy to wheel the bedding plants to their 

 destination, and thus save the time of two men svith the hand- 

 barrow. But it was found impossible to keep small pots up- 

 right, owing to the jolting of the wheel. At length it occurred 

 to me to devise a plan by which the tray might be made to 



CUCUMBEK CULTDEE IN FEAMES AND 

 HOUSES.— No. 2. 



I AM especially desirous of calling attention to the summer 

 culture of Cucumbers in pots as a method which may be 

 practised with perfect sacofss by everyone who has a glass 

 hou.^e, however tmall may be its size or whatever may be its 

 form, a glazed paesnge or corridor answering perfectly well. 

 1 have now in view many of tho^e residences around and in 

 largo towns, where space is so important that the laudable 

 efforts to introduce a touch of nature are frequently confioed 

 to an enclosure of eome few square perches in area, or even 

 to that cleverly contrived little glazed adjanct known under 

 the title of " the Conservatory." 



All things considered, the best time to commence Cucumber 

 culture in an unheated structure would be at any convenient 

 moment from the beginning of May till midsummer, taking 



ride better on the frame of the waterbarrow, and the result 

 was a most useful barrow, very similar lo those used by the 

 costermongers in the streets of London. 



It is very simple in its construction, and I have no doubt 

 that many who have a waterbarrow will be glad to find a 

 second use for the wheels. Mine was made as an experiment, 

 and having some split oak palings about .3 feet long I used 

 three on each side for springs, and they have answered my 

 purpose pretty well and have been in frequent use for five or 

 six years. Steel would of course bo better. 



A round staff, about the size of a spade handle, is laid across 

 in the horns of the barrow, projecting over the wheals about 

 5 or I) inches, and fastened by screws at the middle, or nearly 

 60, of each spring. One end of each spring ie firmly fastened 

 to a stout cross piece under the front of the tray, and an oblong 

 hole or slot is then made in the other end of each spring, and 

 a small screw bolt put through it and driven into another 

 slot cross piece under the other end of the tray to bold the 

 spring in its place and yet allow it to work. The tray is held 

 down to the handles by an iron hook. It can be tipped out of 

 its place and the water-holder taken on iu less than a minute. 

 When placed against a wall it occupies very little space, and 

 is ready for use at any moment. The upper edge of a 0-inch 

 board is fixed round the lower edge of the tray, which hides 

 the spring and makes it look more agreeable to the eye. 



It ia very useful for many purposes, and moves very light 

 and easy, and the broad shallow and level surface makes it 

 convenient for carrying plants, empty pots, and various thiugs, 

 and for these purposes it is far more handy than i<i a common 



care to secure healthy plants with strong sturdy growth, tarn- 

 ing them out from the small pots in which they will most likely 

 be growing into the largest pots we can obtain, remembering 

 that the larger the pot the longer will the plant flourish therein 

 without extraneous assistance. Wo place four or five uneven 

 layers of broken tiles or flower pots into the bottom of each 

 large pot for drainage, and for soil take two parts of old leaf 

 soil or manure mixed with one part of turf broken in pieces 

 of about half the size of one's hand ; Jailing ths turf we would 

 employ some ordinary garden soil and mix a lot, say half a 

 gallon, of broken charcoal with it. With this, ample drainage, 

 and free open soil, we can venture to water freely, which is an 

 important point in the culture of Cusiinibors. 



Having thu3 established our plants in their permanent 

 quarters, we have next to consider how to dispose of the gro\vth. 

 In a pit or regular Cucumber house there would be a wire 

 trellis, but in the solitary structure of the amateur, which I 

 am striving to keep ia view, such a trellis is either inadmis- 

 sible or is wisely devoted to ornamental climbing plants; and 

 in such a case it is better to resolve not to allow the Cucumber 

 growth to ramble unchecked, but to confine it within reason- 

 able limits, such as is afforded by a pillar supporting the roof, 

 or two or three wires fastened to the pot and strained upwards 

 for a couple of yards in any corner or side which can be spared 

 for the purpose ; then by nipping off the tip of the leading 

 shoot we can secure two or three lateral shoots, taking one up 

 each wire, nipping off their tip? when they show fruit, and so 

 on with other laterals till the tjp of the wire is reached, by 

 which time the soil in the pot will be crowded with roots, and 



