Cultivation and Management of forced Cucumbers. 53 



any tiling farther, which you may wish information on, I will 

 with pleasure communicate it, if in my power. 



1 remain, yours, respectfully, John D. Legare. 



Charleston, S. C, Dec. 30, 1S41. 



We are indebted to our cotemporary for his kindness in 

 forwarding us some of the fruit above named; and also for the 

 excellent communication describing its mode of cultivation. 

 We shall plant the fruit, and at a future time make known the 

 results of its growth in our climate. — Ed. 



Art. IV. On the Cultivation and Management of forced 

 Cucumbers m Hut-beds. By J. W. Russell, Worces- 

 ter, Mass. 



When early cucumbers are wanted, the first necessary step 

 to take is, to ]M-ocure a sufficient qiiantity of horse dung, with 

 a good portion of the strawy litter mixed with it This ought 

 to be well piepared, before making up the bed, in the follow- 

 ing manner: — 



Having obtained fresh dung from the stable, at least one 

 month before it is intended to make up the bed for the fruiting 

 plants, it should be laid into a round heap, on a high and dry 

 place, and watered if the dung is dry, and turned over three 

 or four times, being mindful to shake the whole well to pieces 

 with a fork at the different times of turning it over. The out- 

 side of the heap should be placed in the middle, and the mid- 

 dle at the outside at each time of turning it, in order that the 

 whole may be well mixed and fermented together. If any of 

 the manure appears dry, it should be made Wet by the appli- 

 cation of water; in fact, the two extremes must be guarded 

 against, that is, it should not be too u'tt or too dry. The 

 dung having been prepared as thus proposed, it will, at the 

 end of a month's time, be in a proper state for making the 

 bed: every gardener knows that what is here recommended 

 is of the utmost importance in order to be successful in forc- 

 ing the cucumber. 



