242 VINES 
its bulk of manure, and the surface of the hill 
left a few inches above the surrounding ground 
when ready for the seed. This is to hasten the 
drying out of the soil, as the seedlings, while 
young, cannot stand wet feet. Never sow the 
seed before the middle of May, ana not even then 
if the weather is not warm. ‘The plant is a heat 
lover, and the slightest touch of cold weather 
turns the foliage yellow, and results in a short 
crop. Of course, dates are a poor criterion, but 
to test the strength of this advice in general, 
sow a hill or two each year before the middle of 
May, and keep track of the successes and failures 
of these hills. Don’t sow the entire crop at one 
time, but start a few hills every two or three 
weeks until the end of August. 
If cutworms are prevalent in your locality, 
sink strips of tin, about four inches wide, bent 
into circles a foot or so in diameter, about the 
hills. ‘Ten or a dozen seeds should be sown to a 
hill, and later thinned out to three or four seed- 
lings. The tin fences, set about three inches 
deep, ward off the cutworms until the plants are 
pretty well along, when they may be removed in 
time to protect other, newly sown hills. 
Cucumbers are very subject to rust and other 
fungous diseases. As a preventive, spray every 
