376 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



the tobacco stems are steamed, and the vapor used. It is 

 said that tobacco water will spot lettuce if it comes in con- 

 tact with the leaves. The lettuce season under glass is 

 usually from -September to May. 



The cucumber season in houses is practically the whole 

 year round, and under sash from March to July. Under the 

 best culture, in houses, seventy-two days elapse between 

 the setting out of the cucumber plants and the picking of 

 the cucumbers. When cucumbers are grown under hot-bed 

 sash, the sash and planks upon which they rest are usually 

 removed about the first week in July, and the vines allowed 

 to run. When grown in houses, the cucumber flowers are 

 fertilized by bees, a hive of which is kept in or near the 

 house for that purpose. The vines are afiected, sometimes 

 enough to destroy the crop, by plant lice, thrips, red 

 spiders, black flies, timber rot, stump foot and foul soil. 

 The best remedy for plant lice and thrips seems to be fumes 

 from burning tobacco stems, and the odor arising from stems 

 and dust strewn around on the ground. Too much tobacco 

 smoke will cause the leaves to curl up. It is said that lice 

 on cucumbers may also be destroyed by spraying with 

 tobacco water. The red spiders may be destroyed by 

 spraying with water, or by the use of steam. Consider- 

 able damage is done by timber rot, which frequently appears, 

 especially in old houses, and may result from the decay of 

 the flowers which have fallen upon the vines. It seems to 

 be most common in cold, damp weather, in old houses. 

 However, the nature of the trouble does not appear to be 

 very well understood. In South Sudbury and Fitchburg 

 some complaint was made of stump foot on cucumber and 

 tomato vines. 



On account of cold, cloudy, wet weather, the past year 

 has been unusually bad for both lettuce and cucumbers. 



In the vicinity of Boston, beets, radishes, dandelions, 

 tomatoes and parsley are quite extensively grown as catch 

 crops. It may be said that the culture of these several 

 crops under glass is a paying business when good crops 

 are obtained; but, as in other branches of agriculture, there 

 are many failures and discouragements, and success is not 

 easily attained. 



