283 



Small Russian. 



repeated as often as it is necessary, as a steady heat is essential to success. 

 Though Cucumbers when grown by artificial heat can be obtained at any 

 time of the year, yet, as a rule, they are only cultivated in this way in 

 order to have them a few weeks earlier than from the open ground. 

 Very few people care for Cucumbers till the warm weather sets in, and 

 July or August will be sufficiently early to start the plants in heat. Early 

 plants for the open ground may be obtained by starting the seeds in a 

 hot-bed, putting the young plants into small pots and keeping them 

 growing steadily till they can be safely placed in the open ground. 



PROPAGATION. 



Cucumbers are generally raised from seed and this is the most easy 

 method. Propagation, however, may be readily effected by cuttings of 

 the young shoots taken off just below a joint and inserted an inch deep 

 in light rich soil. Plants raised by this means are, as a rule more 

 prolific than seedlings, but the fruit is usually smaller, and the practice k 

 not worth following, except in the case of new and choice varieties that 

 are wanted to increase quickly. Seed should invariably be saved from 

 the finest and best shaped fruit, and these as a rule are those that are 

 first produced by the plants. The fruit should be allowed to ripen before 

 it is removed from the vines, and care must be taken that no other species 

 of the family are growing near. No plants are more easily crossed than 



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