200 OF RAISING CUCUMBERS. SECT. 



the seed at this time, need only be from two and a 

 half to three feet thick, and a one-light frame. On 

 this bed also may be sown, in pots, or otherwise, 

 tender annuals ; and it is a very good time for most 

 of them. Or the seed for plants to ridge out under 

 hand-glasses, may be sown in pots, and placed in 

 other hot beds, to bring them forward till they have 

 been stopped. 



What has been said about makiag hot beds, and 

 sowing, and managing cucumbers, will direct now ; 

 only at this season, mowings of grass may be put 

 round a bed to increase the heat, and will be found 

 ^seful to lay on the top of dung linings when sunk. 



A seed bed, at this time, should have a growing 

 heat for one month, when the plants will be fit (the 

 latter end of April, or beginning of May) to put 

 either into another two feet and a half hot bed with 

 a frame, or only under hand-glasses, c. which should 

 be rather large, because plants running from under 

 them much before Midsummer will hardly endure the 

 weather. Let them be covered up on nights with a 

 single mat; and when they must run from under the 

 glasses, sticks, or hoops, may be fixt to keep the mats 

 off from pressing upon them: fasten the covering 

 down at the corners with pegged sticks, to keep them 

 from blowing away. Let the ground about the bed 

 b3 stirred, and also raised, to train the plants level, 

 and to give the roots full room to extend and strike 

 freely. 



For ridging cucumbers, that are to have only hand- 

 glasses, or some such cover, observe (as advised) not 

 to sow too forward, for better be rather late, than 

 have the plants cut off, or much injured, just as they 

 are going to bear. The hot bed, or ridge, made in 

 May, for hand-glasses, should be sunk in a dry soil, 

 two spades deep; and two feet and a half thick of 

 good dung is now enough. The mould that is thrown 



