CUCURBITACE.E. IV. CUCUMIS. 



17 



boisterous, stormy weather." Having put on the frame and 

 waited till the bed is fit for moulding, lay in five or six inches' 

 depth of the proper earth or compost. M'Phail " makes up a 

 bed of good dung, four feet high, for a 1 -light box." Nicol 

 " builds a bed of dung, carefully fermented, to the height of 

 5 feet at back, and 4 at front, keeping it a foot larger all round 

 than a 1-light frame, or about five or six feet by three or three 

 and a half. He then covers with turf, and on that lays fine sand, 

 as free of earth as possible, to the depth of about 6 inches, 

 laying in a sloping manner, corresponding with the glass and 

 within 6 inches of it ; over which lay an inch or two of dry 

 light earth." Aiton and Mills also prepare a bed for a 1-light 

 box ; the latter forms it on a stratum of wood 1 foot high for 

 drainage, and 8 inches higher in the middle than at the sides, 

 as the sides are liable, from the weight of the frame, to settle 

 faster than in the middle, which causes the piles of earth to 

 crack ; by which in fruiting-beds more especially the roots of 

 the plants are greatly injured. 



Sowing. Abercrombie sows some seeds in the layer of the 

 earth, which he spreads over the bed, putting them in half an 

 inch deep. He also sows some seed in 2, 3, or more small 

 pots of the same kind of earth, which may be plunged a little 

 into that of the bed. M'Phail sows in a pot filled with rich 

 earth, covers about 2 inches thick, and sets the pots on the 

 surface of the naked dung on the bed. Nicol sows immediately 

 after the bed is made, without waiting till the heat arises, which 

 he says is losing time, and the opportunity of bringing on veget- 

 ation by degrees as the heat rises. He sows in a broad pan 4 

 inches deep, or in small pots 4 or 5 inches in diameter, and as 

 much in depth. These he fills with " fine light earth" or veget- 

 able mould, and covers the seeds 2 inches. He plunes these 

 to the brim in the back part of the bed (which, it will be re- 

 collected contains a stratum of earth 6 inches thick, over one of 

 sand and another of turf), puts on the light, and lets the frame 

 be matted at night, in the ordinary way. 



Raising plants from cuttings. M'Phail says, " Instead of 

 raising cucumber plants from seeds, they may be raised from 

 cuttings, and thus kept on from year to year, in the following 

 manner ; the method of sticking them in is this : take a shoot 

 which is just ready for stopping, cut it off' just below the joint, 

 behind the joint before which the shoot should have been 

 stopped, then cut smooth the lower end of the shoot or cutting, 

 and stick it in fine leaf or other rich mould, about an inch deep, 

 and give it plenty of heat, and shade it from the rays of the 

 sun till it be fairly struck. By this method, as well as by that 

 of laying, cucumber plants may readily be propagated." J. 

 Mearns, gardener at Shobden Court, near Leominster, propa- 

 gates his cucumber-plants for a winter crop in this way, and 

 " finds that the plants raised from cuttings are less succulent, 

 and therefore do not so readily damp off*, or suffer from the low 

 temperature, to which they are liable to be exposed in severe 

 weather ; that they come into bearing immediately as they have 

 formed roots of sufficient strength to support their fruit, and 

 do not run so much to barren vine as seedlings are apt to do." 

 He takes the cuttings from the tops of the bearing shoots, and 

 plants them in pots 9 inches deep, half filled with mould. He 

 then waters them, covers the tops of the pots with flat pieces of 

 glass, and plunges them into a gentle bottom heat. " The 

 sides of the pot act as a sufficient shade for the cuttings 

 during the time they.are striking, and the flat glass, in this and 

 in similar operations, answers all the purposes of bell-glasses. 

 The cuttings form roots, and are ready to pot off" in a fortnight. 



Temperature of the seed-bed. Abercrombie says, " The mi- 

 nimum heat for the cucumber is 58 at the coldest time of night, 

 in the day-time 65 is sufficient for the maximum ; because air 

 admitted, when the sun has great influence, will do more good 



VOL. III. 



than a higher heat. M'Phail says, " If it were possible to 

 keep the heat in the frames always to 80, with the concurrence 

 of proper air and moisture, 1 am of opinion that that would be 

 a sufficient heat for the production of the cucumber." Nicol 

 keeps the air in the bed to about 65 in the night, allowing a 

 few degrees of a rise in sunshine. Aiton rears and fruits his 

 plants in a stove. Miller says, " The heat I wish to have in 

 the seed-frame is from 65 to 75." 



Treatment of the plants until removed to the fruiting-bed. 

 After sowing, Abercrombie " continues the glasses on the frame, 

 giving occasional vent above for the steam to evaporate, that 

 the bed may keep a moderate heat, and not become too violent. 

 The plants will be up in a few days, when it will be proper to 

 admit air daily, but more guardedly, at the upper end of the 

 light, which may be raised from half an inch to an inch or two, 

 according to the temperature of the weather, that the plants 

 may not draw up weak, or be injured by the steam. In frosty 

 weather hang part of a mat over the aperture. When the plants 

 are a little advanced, with the seed-leaves about half an inch 

 broad, take them up, and prick some in small pots of light earth, 

 previously warmed by the bed. Put 3 plants in each pot, and 

 insert them a little slopingly, quite to the seed-leaves. Plunge 

 the pots into the earth, and you may prick some plants also into 

 the earth of the bed. Give a very little water just to the roots ; 

 the water should be previously warmed to the temperature of 

 the bed. Draw on the glasses ; but admit air daily to promote 

 the growth of the plants, as well as to give vent to the steam 

 rising in the bed, by tilting the lights behind, from half an inch 

 to an inch or two high, in proportion to the heat of the bed and 

 temperature of the weather. Cover the glasses every night 

 with garden-mats, and remove them timely in the morning. 

 Give twice a-week, once in two days, or daily, according to the 

 season, a very light watering ; keep up a moderate lively heat 

 in the bed by requisite linings of hot dung to the sides." 

 M'Phail, having sown, and placed the pots on the naked bed, 

 says, " the plants will come up in a few days, and when they 

 have fully expanded their seed-leaves, transplant them into small 

 pots, 3 plants in each pot. Set them on the surface of the dung 

 in the bed, and let a little air be left at the light day and night, 

 to let the steam pass off freely." " When the seedling plants 

 have one or two joints, stop them, after which they generally 

 put forth 2 shoots, each of which let run till they have made 

 I or 2 clear joints, and then stop them, and afterwards continue 

 throughout the season to stop the plants at every joint." Nicol 

 directs to guard the seed from mice, which generally swarm 

 about hot-beds, by laying a pane of glass over the pot or pan 

 till they come up ; and afterwards at night by covering with a 

 pot of equal size, till the seed-leaves have expanded and the 

 husks have dropped ; for until then the plants are liable to be 

 destroyed. The cover, however, should always be removed by sun- 

 rise, and be replaced in the evening. It is at night these vermin 

 generally commit their depredations. No air need be admitted 

 till the heat begins to rise, and steam begins to appear ; but after 

 that the lights should be tilted a little every day, in whatever state 

 the weather may be, until the plants break ground. Air must then 

 be admitted with more care, and if frosty or very chill, the end 

 of a mat should be hung over the opening, that the air may sift 

 through it, and not immediately strike the plants. A little aired 

 water may be given once a day, from the time the seeds begin 

 to chip ; and if a very strong heat rise, the pots should be 

 raised a little to prevent the roots from being injured. They 

 should be frequently examined on this account, and if the heat 

 be violent, should be set loosely on the sand, or be placed en- 

 tirely on the surface. The air of the bed should be kept to 

 about 65 in the night, allowing a few degrees of a rise in the 

 sunshine. If the weather be severe, the mats must be doubled 

 D 



