THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 289 



cucumbers as there are growers. Some plant in hills the standard 

 distance of 6 feet apart each way; others plant in hills 6 feet apart 

 in one direction and 2 or 3 feet apart in the row, while others plant 

 in drills or broad belts 6 feet apart and chop out the plants to stand 

 about a foot apart in the row after all danger from insect depreda- 

 tion has ceased. The methods which seem most economical under 

 the conditions at hand will of course be adopted by the grower. In 

 outdoor culture the cucumber is frequently used as a companion crop 

 to other crops, like beans. Beans being of rapid growth come on 

 quickly and form a partial protection or wind-break for the young 

 cucumber plants. When arranged in this way, cucumbers are planted 

 in drills or in hills 6 feet apart and a row of beans is placed between 

 two rows of cucumbers, a method which insures a very complete and 

 satisfactory use of the ground. The quick maturity of the beans 

 allows them to be harvested and entirely removed from the area 

 before it is required for the cucumbers. 



Harvesting. Cucumbers intended for pickling purposes are 

 harvested when they have attained a length of from 2 J /2 to 5 inches. 

 Because such cucumbers are bought by weight it will readily be seen 

 that the small-sized pickles are less profitable to the grower than the 

 larger ones, and in order to secure them before they have attained 

 an unsalable size it is necessary that the picking be repeated at fre- 

 quent intervals, as cucumbers grow rapidly and a delay of twenty- 

 four to forty-eight hours in harvesting would render many of them 

 unsalable. It is therefore necessary to have regular intervals to 

 harvest certain areas of the patch and to continue this routine 

 throughout the bearing season. Another point which is of prime 

 importance in the management of the cucumber patch is that none 

 of the fruits be allowed to come to maturity. The ripening process, 

 which means the development and maturing of the seeds, produces 

 a heavy strain upon the growing plant, the life and yield of the plant 

 being in proportion to the number of fruits which are allowed to 

 ripen. If no fruits are allowed to come to maturty the plants will 

 remain green and in an active vegetative condition longer and will 

 produce a much larger aggregate number of fruits. 



Dill Pickles. Dill pickles, which are much prized and com- 

 mand the highest price among pickles, can be made from fresh 

 cucumbers as they come from the vines, or from vat stock which has 

 been carried for some time at the salting station. 



Cucumbers Grown in Cold Frames for Market. Soil for use in 

 cold frames should be a well-enriched sandy loam of the type of the 

 usual sandy loam. If it can be dark in color, this is an advantage. 

 If normally light, the color can be changed by the addition of muck 

 or by incorporating well-decomposed stable manure with the surface 

 soil. A dark color is of some advantage in helping to raise the tem- 

 perature in the frames under the glass. 



Watering. Since the glazed sash prevent the soil beneath them 

 being moistened by natural means that is, by rain or dew it is 

 necessary that means be provided for watering or irrigating the 

 plants. This can be done by arranging pipes upon the surface of 



