Xo. 4.] 



CUCUMBER GROWING. 



417 



axils. Sometimes, however, fruit does not set in the first 

 axils of the laterals, but may in the second or third axils. 

 In that case the lateral is nipped at the first leaf bej^ond, 

 or at the third or fourth node of the lateral. By this 

 method of pruning there is a concentration of fruit on the 

 plant to parts near the main shoot ; for if the laterals were 

 allowed to grow, they would as a rule produce fruit only in 

 every seventh axil, as is the case with the main shoot. 

 From numerous observations which we have made on various 

 crops, we have 



found that a very ^', // 



large percentage jv •] 



of the ])istillate f'.~"'^''-. \ ;! ,/-"',"''----_.-> 



flowers of the lat- •'. — /,."/•.;, ,-;.-^..-^-.~'.' .7 V"\j^^-'K ( 

 erals occur in the •//•''" v .•''-. V-"^"'-/ /,^^-'-''''" \ '■'•■^.■' 

 first axils. The '• % 





largest number of 

 internodes occur- 

 ring between the 

 successive forma- 

 tions of fruit on 

 the plant was 

 seven ; in other 

 words, fruit is 

 found in the 

 largest number of 

 cases in every 



vSeVentn axil. Fig. 3. — showing the development of the two-shoot system. 



In the develnn The leader is cut ate, and two new laterals or leaders develop, 

 ^ as shown in the dotted lines. 



ment of the two- 

 shoot s^'stem it is necessar}" that the plants should be 

 manipulated when small, or at that period when two leaves 

 have developed. The plant in this stage of development is 

 shown in Fig, 3, in which case the dotted lines represent 

 the plant as it will appear as a result of cutting the leader 

 at c. The cutting is best accomplished with a sharp knife, 

 when the bud of the leader is very small. This causes a 

 shoot to develop in the axil of the cotyledons and another 

 at c. In this case we have a plant where two laterals form 



