40 GARDENL\G 



at the root. A dry surface should never be seen. 

 In a cucumber house, paths, stages, and walls ought 

 to be always kept in a moist condition by syringing 

 or by the use of the rosed-can. In hot, bright 

 weather the paths of the house should be deluged 

 two or three times a day. At the same time the 

 bed must be well drained, so that all superfluous 

 water may run away at once, and the plants ought 

 to be set high. Ventilation should be very cau- 

 tiously given, in order to check evaporation. Mois- 

 ture rather than much fresh air is chiefly of conse- 

 quence. As regards soil, they will grow almost in 

 any moderately light, rich, sweet, and porous com- 

 post, though nice turfy loam is preferable, chopped 

 up roughly, and mixed with a small proportion of 

 old rotted manure, and, unless naturally sandy, 

 some sharp grit of some kind. A little soot may 

 be added with advantage, and extra nourishment 

 in the form of liquid manure may be given subse- 

 quently. ' Gumming ' in cucumbers is due to cold, 

 and often occurs in the early part of the season if 

 the spring is dull and cold. If the plant is badly 

 affected it cannot always be cured, but it can gene- 

 rally be got over by raising the temperature and 

 keeping the atmosphere moist. 



To grow Cucumbers in Frames. — April is a 

 good time to make up a cucumber bed. A bed of 

 warm manure should be made up — stable manure 

 by itself heats too violently — throw it into a heap 

 to ferment, and when it becomes hot it must be 

 turned over and thoroughly mixed and pulled to 

 pieces by placing the outside of the heap in the 

 middle, and vice versa ; and in a few days, when the 

 heap is getting hot, turn it over again and water 

 the dry spots if there be any then. Then build up 



