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people or those that are subject to dyspepsia. Robust persons however, 

 may eat them without ill effects, if taken in moderation with the addition 

 of salt, pepper, vinegar or oil. During warm weather they are not only 

 refreshing but they are also supposed to stimulate the appetite for food. 

 Cucumbers are extensively used for pickling and they are often grown 

 specially for the purpose. They are also preserved for winter use by 

 steeping them in brine and packing in casks. When preserved in this 

 way they are very tasty and serviceable for winter or ship use, as they 

 are available when they cannot be obtained in the ordinary way. 



CULTIVATION. 



Cucumbers are strong feeding plants and require a rich soil and an 

 ample and regular supply of moisture to bring them to perfection, 

 therefore water must be used freely in dry weather. When grown in the 

 open ground the most generally adopted plan is to make holes three or 

 four feet in diameter, and place in each a barrow-full of well rotted 

 manure, then filling up with soil. But the better plan is to thoroughly 

 work the whole of the ground so as to allow the roots a wider range, 

 and avoid the risk of an excess of water, which is very likely to occur if 

 the hole system is adopted, as when the ground is retentive each one 

 becomes after heavy rains, simply a tank for a time. When seeds are 

 sown, the usual plan is to put in seven or eight where each set of plants 

 are required, placing them two or three inches apart, and about an inch 

 deep. The distance between each set of plants should be from nine to 

 ten feet. Some growers prefer the plants to stand singly instead of in 

 sets of three, and if this plan is adopted they should be arranged about 

 three feet apart in the lines. The seeds will quickly germinate, and as 

 soon as the young plants have made their first pair of leaves, they should 

 be thinned out to the three strongest, leaving a space of from six to nine 

 inches between. The spare plants may be taken up and transplanted if 

 wanted, as they bear the operation well if they are removed carefully. 

 Some people prefer to raise the plants in a frame and transfer them 

 to the open ground when large enough. This plan offers some 

 advantages, as primary growth will be more under the control of the 

 cultivator, and the plants will be earlier. As the Cucumber is a very 

 tender plant it is useless to sow or plant in the open ground till all 

 danger from frosts is passed. The time for a first sowing or planting will 

 necessarily vary considerably in different parts of Australasia, and 

 cultivators will- have to use their judgment. In sowing or planting early 

 there will always be some risk from frosts or bleak winds, and as a 

 safeguard it will be advisable to place casks, boxes, sugar baskets with the 

 bottoms removed, or even a few bushes round each plant or set. Hand 

 glasses however, will be a still better safeguard, bat they are too expensive 

 for general use. In order to keep up a regular supply of fruit throughout 

 the summer, it will be necessary to put in succession, crops at intervals of 

 a month or six weeks up to February. 



When the vines begin to run it will be advisable to stop them after 

 they have made five or six joints, by pinching off the points of the shoots. 



