CHAPTER XVIII 

 CUCUMBER 



History. The cucumber has been grown under glass 

 in the United States since the earliest days of vegetable 

 forcing. The largest plantations during the decade of 

 1890 to 1900 were found in the Boston district, in which 

 W. W. Rawson was the best-known grower. At first 

 the long English type was cultivated, but American con- 

 sumers have had a preference for the shorter cucumbers 

 of the White Spine type, and the popularity of this class 

 has been largely responsible for the development of the 

 cucumber-forcing industry in other parts of the country, 

 especially in the Central West. 



Importance. It is impossible to give a very definite 

 idea of the importance of the cucumber as a forcing crop. 

 In every vegetable-forcing district of the United States 

 it occupies an important place. In the Boston district it 

 ranks next to lettuce in commercial importance, and it is 

 believed that it would rank second in importance if the 

 entire country were considered. There is scarcely a large 

 vegetable-forcing establishment anywhere in the United 

 States that does not at some time or another grow cu- 

 cumbers for market. If a crop requiring high tempera- 

 tures is to be grown, either the cucumber or the tomato 

 is generally selected. It is largely a matter of personal 

 preference or of the demands of the markets to be sup- 

 plied. See page 1 for more complete data regarding the 

 history of vegetable forcing. 



Season of culture. The cucumber is a "warm" crop, 

 which requires even higher temperatures than the tomato. 

 Because of its demands for heat, this vegetable is most 

 extensively grown as a spring crop. It generally follows 

 lettuce, which occupies the beds until the arrival of bright, 



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