714 THK FARMERS' HANDBOOK. 



An experience of forty years had shown him that fowl manure was by 

 far the best. Pig manure and sheep manure were also very good, and 

 stock-yard manure was not to be despised, but he preferred the first-named. 

 To prepare this he dug a hole or ditch of suitable size, and throughout the 

 year put in all the manure from the fowl pens. By spring it was quite decom- 

 posed, and second to none for growing rock melons. He had also tried artificial 

 manures, but had had no success with them. 



He always " shot " the seed, soaking it for about twenty-four hours and 

 then putting it into a rag-bag, and placing this in the centre of a bag of about 

 a bushel of greenstuff cut up into chaff. This soon heated, and a close watch 

 had to be kept, as the seed would shoot very quickly and spoil. He had 

 planted seeds with shoots an inch long, but great care was necessary as the 

 shoots were very easily broken off. 



He generally made the drills about 9 feet apart, and the holes 6 feet apart 

 in the drills, leaving only three or four plants in each. By planting this way 

 he got the vines to properly cover the ground, and one year he took 190 gin- 

 cases of fruit off half an acre, to say nothing of dozens of melons that were 

 wasted or given away. When planting, if the ground happened to be dry, 

 he put some water in the hole, and when it had soaked away he placed the 

 seeds in the wet ground and covered them lightly. 



Like all other crops thorough cultivation was necessary. As soon as the 

 plants were large enough the plough should be put through, turning the soil 

 away from the rows to let the warmth into the roots, the rows in the mean-" 

 time being worked by hand with the hoe or pronged hoe. Before the plants 

 were too large the plough should be put through again, this time turning 

 the soil up to the rows; judgment was necessary to determine whether to 

 harrow down or not. Rock melons were very delicate plants, and care had 

 to be exercised in working through them not to injure the vines. 



CUCUMBERS. 



To produce early cucumbers for the Sydney market the seed should be 

 sown in June or July, in a warm corner with some bottom heat, or in tins 

 or squares as in the case of melons, and when danger of severe frost is over 

 the plants should be transferred to the warmest situation available and 

 protected by covering at night. 



The soil should be deeply worked, and a liberal supply of well-rotted 

 stable manure thoroughly worked into the hills, which should be placed 

 about 6 feet apart. 



The plants should be mulched and well watered, if the weather prove dry, 

 and as high winds are prevalent in the spring the vines should be secured in 

 position by means of pegs, otherwise they will become matted and twisted 

 together. 



For the Sydney market the fruit should be carefully packed, in layers 

 separated by fine dry straw, in cases having a capacity of about a bushel, 

 nnd constructed so as to admit air. 



In addition to the demand for cucumbers for salad, there is a fair market 

 for cucumbers for pickling; in this case there is not so much import- 

 ance attachable to earliness, but the crop is harvested at a much younger 



