AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



405 



Cucumb er cvntin ued. 



advances, the plants may be syringed morning and evening, 

 using water that has been standing in the house to warm. 

 Plenty of air should be admitted in warm weather, but 

 draughts must be avoided. The training will consist chiefly 

 in stopping the main shoot when on to the trellis, to train 

 the laterals a good distance apart, and keep thinning out, 

 to admit all the light possible. Additional soil should be 

 given each time the roots appear through the mounds, 

 until sufficient is collected to enable the plants to reach 

 their limits, when liquid manure may be applied. Light, 

 thin shading will be necessary in bright weather, or the 

 leaves will burn, especially if there is any water on them. 

 Plants that are required to stand the winter, should be 

 inserted not later than the end of August, 

 or early in September, in order to get them 

 well established before the cold weather sets 

 in. Great care and attention are necessary 

 with winter Cucumbers, particularly during 

 November and December, when least sun- 

 shine is generally experienced. All the sun 

 and light possible must be obtained, and it 

 is rarely necessary to open the ventilators 

 at this season, unless the hips of the glass are airtight. 

 Watering must be done very carefully, and syringing, 

 unless in exceptionally mild weather, should be withheld. 

 Cucumbers should not be planted thickly; if in a large 

 house, a good vigorous plant will cover several yards of 

 trellis, and will produce plenty of fruits throughout its 

 whole length. Where space is limited, they may be grown 

 in large pots, and trained up a rafter; top-dressing the 

 plants with rich soil, and supplying liquid or artificial 

 manure. Excellent crops can be obtained by this method 

 if the plants receive attention. 



Green Fly, Bed Spider, and Thrips are the worst insect 

 enemies to Cucumbers. Fumigating must be done very 

 carefully to destroy the Fly, on two successive evenings. 

 As soon as Red Spider or Thrips are detected, it is best to 

 at once sponge the infested leaves with soapy water, and 

 so prevent the insects spreading to others. The leaves 

 must be handled with great care, as they are very brittle. 



Culture in Pits and Frames. In gardens where stable 

 litter and leaves are plentiful, a good supply of Cucumbers 

 may be kept up during the summer by this method, with- 

 out fire heat. The material to form the hotbed should be 

 well mixed, and occasionally turned over for 

 a week or two before it is required ; and, if at 

 all dry, it must be wetted, to cause fermenta- 

 tion. A thickness of about 3ft. will be sufficient 

 for enclosed pits, adding 1ft. more for frames. In 

 the hitter case, the bed should be about 3ft. wider 

 than the frames. Tread evenly, and place small 

 heaps of soil at least 9in. from the glass, allowing 

 it to remain with the sashes a little open for 

 a few days, to let off any rank steam, which 

 would prove fatal to the plants. Give plenty 

 of room when growing, thinning out and stop- 

 ping the shoots, to induce fruitfulness ; supply 

 plenty of water when necessary. If sufficient 

 heat cannot be obtained, the frames should occa- 

 sionally be lined with new fermenting material. 

 As this system is now almost limited to sum- / 

 mer cultivation, shading and plenty of air will / e 

 be required. If Cucumbers be grown in the 

 open air, a warm south aspect should be selected 

 for the purpose. Dig out holes or trenches, and 

 lay the soil on the north side. Fill up the 

 holes with fermenting material, prepared as for 

 frames; put some soil on the top, and plant 

 out in May, affording protection for a time with 

 bell glasses or hand lights. The seed should be 

 sown in heat to obtain these plants about the 

 end of March. Cucumbers produce male and 

 female flowers. Except for seeding purposes, it 



Cucumber continued. 



is not necessary that the latter should be fertilised, 

 the fruit reaching the same size, and being all the 

 better for the absence of seeds. In winter time, 

 or in the case of weak plants, the whole of the 

 male flowers might with advantage be kept removed. 

 Tubular glasses, about 30in. long, are often used to grow 

 straight Cucumbers for exhibition. Well-formed fruits 

 are placed in them when young, and the glass being fixed 

 by some means, the fruit is protected, and grows, in 

 some cases, nearly the size of the glass. They are not 

 used for ordinary purposes, as for fruit shown in Fig. 558. 



Sorts. These are extremely numerous, as far as names 

 ire concerned, each year producing many so-called new or 



Fio. 658. FRUIT OF CUCUMBER. 



improved forms, which, however, do not get into general 

 cultivation. Some grow to a length of over 2ft., but they 

 are often coarse and deficient in quality. The following 

 are amongst the best for general purposes, choosing the 



Fio. 559. SECTION OF SIMPLE FRAME. 



first if only one variety is grown : Eollisson's Telegraph, 

 Tender and True, Sion House, Turner's Blue Gown, Munro's 

 Duke of Edinburgh, and Marquis of Lome. Some of these 

 grow a good length ; but they are all very tender if used 

 when from 1ft. to 18in. long. 



Fio 560. SECTION OF SPAM-ROOF HOUSE 

 Space for Bottom Heat ; b b b b b b, Hot-water Pipes ; c c, Pipes 

 for Top Heat ; d, Path ; e e , Ventilators. 



