320 VEGETABLE FORCING 



moisture may cause the wilting of the leaves or of the 

 entire plant, with consequent reductions in the total yield 

 as well as in the size and quality of the cucumbers. 



The plants are benefited by syringing with water, es- 

 pecially during hot, sunny weather. This operation may 

 be effected very quickly by producing a mist-like spray 

 with the overhead system of irrigation. If there are 

 reasons for not wetting the plants, the humidity may be 

 increased by sprinkling the walks. A moist atmosphere 

 is unquestionably of great importance in the forcing of 

 this vegetable. 



As previously stated, the beds should be watered as 

 soon as possible after the plants are set out. This will 

 cause the soil to settle about the balls of earth and roots 

 from the pots, and thus help to exclude the air and to 

 establish close relations between the moisture of the soil 

 and the roots of the plants. 



Unless the spring season is well advanced when the 

 plants are set, large amounts of water will not be needed 

 until they are 4 or 5 feet high, but from that time on pro- 

 jfuse^applications will be required to meet their needs. 

 Dumping the months of June and July it is practically im- 

 jfolsible to apply too much water. The overhead system 

 of watering is extensively employed in the growing of 

 greenhouse cucumbers. 



Cultivation. It is desirable to cultivate the beds while 

 the plants are small, but tillage after the soil is well filled 

 with roots (and many of them are surface feeders) 

 should not be advocated. Any damage to the roots, even 

 by shallow tillage, is certain to impair the crop of 

 cucumbers. 



Mulching. The advantages of mulching in the forcing 

 of tomatoes were fully discussed on page 286. It is 

 possible that the practice is not quite so general in the 

 culture of cucumbers under glass, though a large per- 

 centage of the growers use mulches of some kind. As a 



