278 

 CUCUMBER. 



HISTORY. 



The Cucumber is a well-known annual trailing plant known to 

 botanists as Cucumu sativu* and belonging to the natural order 

 Cucurbitaceae. The generic name is derived from curvus crooked, in 

 allusion to the form the fruit generally assumes. It is generally supposed 

 to be a native of the East Indies, but, as with many other economic 

 plants, there is no certainty as to where it came from originally. 

 Cucumbers appear to have been well known to the nations of antiquity, 

 and according to their writers they were generally cultivated. Records 

 are in existence that show this plant was cultivated in Egypt, Persia, and 

 Syria over three thousand years ago. The Hebrews also appear to have 

 been well acquainted with this plant from a very early period, and 

 tradition says that one of the complaints made by the Israelites to Moses 

 in the wilderness was the want of Cucumbers, to which they had become 

 accustomed to during their stay in Egypt. The Cucumber was probably 

 introduced to Europe by the Romans, as it is certain that that nation 

 cultivated this plant as early as the first century, if not sooner.. Cucum- 

 bers were greatly prized by the Roman patricians, and the Emperor 

 Tiberius is said to have been so partial to them that his table was 

 supplied throughout the year, and for the greater portion they were 

 grown by artificial means. 



The mode of artificial cultivation as practised by the ancient Romans, 

 appears to have been essentially the same as that which is adopted by 

 modern gardeners. They were well aware that a rich soil, warmth and 

 moisture, were essentials to the successful culture of Cucumbers and that 

 growth could be stimulated by the application of artificial heat. It was 

 a common practice with the Romans to grow them in large baskets filled 

 with horse dung and rich soil. Thin plates of Lapis specularis or talc 

 were placed over the baskets, and this material admitted light nearly as 

 freely as our modern glass. At night these baskets were placed under 

 shelter. Pliny informs us that Cucumbers were also commonly grown 

 in large boxes arranged on wheels which were moved about at pleasure. 

 Several other ancient writers speak of Cucumbers and the practices 

 adapted in their culture. Palladius writing in the year 151, directs the 

 seed to be macerated in water before it is sown, and the fruit to be grown 

 in tubes to increase their length. Quintillius arid Columella give similar 

 directions, and add, that as the fruit increases in length when near water, 

 therefore dishes filled with water should be placed within a few inches of 

 the points of the Cucumbers. Some of the early Greek writers 

 recommended that previous to sowing the seed should be steeped in milk 

 and honey in order to prevent bitterness in the fruit. Though to us this 

 may appear to be an absurd practice, yet strange to say it was believed 

 in, and followed by the celebrated English philosopher Lord Bacon. 



From" historical records Cucumbers appear to have been grown in 

 England from about the middle of the fourteenth century. Owing 



