249 



CULTURE OF GARDENS. 



■,„ complete the bed, fill «P the trench with good «>il. If roote 

 are planted, they may be cut the second year ; but if seeds, 

 rttillTethW.' After thebudisfit for -■ f ;he =hooU 

 which come up before the m.^le of June may be c^ off, btt. 

 all after that should run to seed to strengthen the plants, m 

 tm Ihey should have a layer of rotten dung spread over 

 them an inch in depth, which may m P"* '>\*t«° f !^" "^^ 

 sprin.T ; and when the bed becomes too b-h by the constant 

 addition of dung, part of the earth may be pared off m the 

 spring, before the plants shoot, and the bed covered again witn _ 

 a thin compost of rotten dung. 



CocuMBERS. This plant is cultivated by planting^it in hUls 

 about six feet apart, other wise the vines will cover the grouM 

 so thickly that it will be difficult to go among them without 

 injuring the vines. The greatest difficulty in raising this 

 ffuitis to keep the insects from destroying them, when tne 

 pknts are young. For sotoe,the means of effecting this, see arti- 

 Gleon insects. Those who have but a very ^-ff ,^P°V''„^. ^„„ 

 den sometimes practice filling a tub or barrel half full of stones 

 and with as much water, over this lay some straw and fill the 

 vessel with the richest earth, and plant on the top a Pl<;nty »« 

 seeds; spread some bushes round the tub for the vnes toj«n 

 on ; u^ this way a great cropmay be raised ; the cask may be 

 open atthelower end; in that case or otherwise water mu. 

 be occasionally applied to keep them sufficiently moist I 

 might be an improvement to this method to raise »° "™'a' 

 mound ofearth about the circumference, and a little higher 

 than a common barrel, and of a conical structure, the diameter 

 of the upper surface being but one third and ""^ ^f *=;' "^ '^ 

 base ; plant on the top of it as on the cask. If the mound is 

 ..composed ofaconsiderable portion of clay, one quarter or one 

 third, the plants would require much less water to be applied 

 By this method, it will be seen, that atmospheric space will 

 furnish room for the vines, which otherwise would o^cuppy he 

 same extent . of soil. The same economy might be practiced 



