102 Commercial Gardening 



water on the other. Some growers in the past have, however, taken 

 such expressions literally, and have grown their Cucumber plants in 

 structures that could only be compared to a Turkish bath. The plants 

 were steamed to death, with the result that their constitution broke 

 down under the terrific strain, and the deadly "spot" played havoc with 

 the crop. Such growers, instead of using their horticultural common 

 sense, fled to the chemist (who knew little or nothing about the business) 

 and wanted some concoction that would check, if not altogether kill, the 

 disease. And the chemist, like a sensible man of business, immediately 

 proceeded to compound his nostrums and to talk learnedly about the 

 fungoid and other diseases of Cucumbers, at the same time not forgetting 

 to take the fees to recompense him for his learning and skill. 



Happily we have passed the stage where nurserymen used to "steam 

 their Cucumbers up", and even houses were built without any means of 

 ventilation so as to ensure the perfect "steaming up". Under such con- 

 ditions, which were only too prevalent, it was not surprising that the 

 goose that laid the golden eggs of the market nurseryman was nearly 

 killed. 



Temperature. At no period in its growth does the Cucumber require 

 a higher temperature than 90 F. to produce its maximum amount of 

 growth and fruit; and it may be taken that a temperature from 70 to 

 90 is the best all-round temperature for Cucumbers. Of course, with 

 sun heat, the temperature of a Cucumber house will often go above 

 90 F., but then the ventilation can be so regulated that a pure and 

 buoyant atmosphere saturated with moisture will be maintained. 



Soil. Cucumbers naturally like a good turfy loam. The top spit 

 from a meadow or piece of pasture land, if stacked up about six months 

 before use, and enriched with alternate layers of stable manure, or indeed 

 any organic manure such as that obtained from the poultry run, rabbits, 

 &c., will give excellent results. At the time of use the addition of a little 

 lime or basic slag will also prove beneficial. The compost should be 

 chopped down with the spade, but should not be sifted, the spade being 

 used to reduce the turves to a sufficiently small size. When good turfy 

 loam is not available, any ordinary good garden soil enriched with well- 

 rotted manure and leaf mould will give satisfaction. 



Sowing* the Seeds. The first consideration is to obtain good seeds 

 from a reliable source, as one of the first steps towards success is to have 

 strong and sturdy plants. When two or more crops are to be grown 

 during the year, the first sowing should be made about the first week in 

 December. Some growers sow from twenty-four to thirty seeds in shallow 

 boxes, using a fairly rich and gritty soil. A better practice, however, is to 

 sow the seeds singly in 2 J-in. pots, making a hole with the finger or a dibbler 

 about 1 to 1J in. deep in the centre of the compost, afterwards covering 

 and watering in with tepid water. Place in a temperature of 70 to 85 F., 

 the first-named being probably better for the seeds sown in December, as 

 too high a temperature is apt to weaken the plants during the short days. 



