12 ON THE CULTURE OF THE CUCUMBER 



conjunction with the injury they will experience 

 from the excessive heat. 



Previous to the horse manure being made 

 into a bed, let it be thrown into a heap ; and as 

 soon as the vapour rises, and the whole mass has 

 become well heated, let it be turned, taking 

 care that every portion be well separated and 

 shaken during the operation, otherwise the 

 fermentation will not be regular. When the 

 dung has been turned over and well shaken, the 

 heap must be left till it again becomes hot, 

 which it will do in a few days, when the opera- 

 tion of turning and shaking must be repeated ; 

 I have it turned once a week for a period 

 of about eight weeks, before the expiration of 

 which it cannot become quite sweet, especially 

 if fresh when the working of it commenced. I 

 wish this to be particularly attended to, as, in a 

 communication made by me to the Horticultural 

 Society of London, I named six weeks as being 

 sufficient, in my opinion, for the preparation of 

 dung for cucumber beds ; but further expe- 



