74 THE AMERICAN GARDENER. [Chap. 



fruit, is artificially done thus : as soon as any fe- 

 male flowers are fully open, gather a newly opened 

 male flower, and stripping the leaf gently oft' from 

 the middle, take nicely hold of the bottom, and 

 twirling the top of the male (reversed) over the 

 centre of the female flower, the fine fertilizing 

 dust from the male part will fall off, and adhere to 

 the female part, and fecundate it, causing the fruit 

 to keep its colour, swell, and proceed fast towards 

 perfection. This business of setting the fruit may 

 be practised through the months of February, 

 March, and April, but afterwards it will not be ne- 

 cessary ; for the admission of so much air as may 

 afterwards be given, will disperse the farina effect- 

 ually ; but if the weather still is bad, or remarkably 

 calm, setting may be continued a little longer. If 

 short of male flowers, one of them may serve to 

 impregnate two females /" 



146. Lest the American reader should be disposed 

 to lament, that such childish work as this is made 

 to occupy the time of English Gardeners, it may 

 not be amiss to inform him, that those to whom the 

 Reverend Gentleman recommends the practising ol 

 these mysteries, have plenty of beef and pudding 

 and beer at their masters' expense, while they are 

 engaged in this work of impregnation ; and that 

 their own living by no means depends, even in the 

 smallest degree, upon the effect of the application 

 of this " fine fertilizing dust" To say the truth, 

 however, there is nothing of design here, on the 

 part of the gardener. He, in good earnest, be- 

 lieves, that this operation is useful to the growth of 

 the fruit of his cucumber plants : and, how is he to 

 'believe otherwise, when he sees the fact gravely 

 taken for granted by such men as a Clergyman of 

 the Church of England ' 



