46 GARDENING 



Stockwood, Athenian Ridge, and Short Prickly (or 

 Gherkin) for pickHng. 



Winter Cucumbers. — The seeds should be 

 sown singly in 3-inch pots placed near the glass. 

 The best varieties for the winter are Telegraph 

 and Cardiff Castle, the preference for the first 



The soil in which the plants are to be sown 

 should consist of one half loam and the rest of 

 decayed manure (that from an old hotbed prefer- 

 able) and leaf soil. The compost must be well 

 mixed and placed in the house four or five days 

 before planting, so that it may be warm quite 

 through. The glass and woodwork should be 

 thoroughly cleaned previously, both to give light 

 to the foliage and destroy any insect pests. 



When the plants are to be turned out of the 

 pots, care should be taken that the soil is thoroughly 

 moist. They may be syringed twice a day except 

 on very wet days. To check red spider and thrips, 

 as soon as the fruit commences swelling liquid 

 manure water in a tepid state should be applied 

 to the roots : this should be very weak and applied 

 often. 



The temperature should range between 65° 

 and 75°, but on bright sunny days with a little 

 air it may be 5° higher ; in fact, with a 

 little extra fire heat the ventilators might be 

 open every day. The atmosphere as well as 

 being warm should also be moist, and for this 

 purpose water must be thrown on the floor 

 occasionally, but not too often, because in the 

 winter the leaves are liable to be attacked by 

 mildew, which, should it appear, must be quickly 

 destroyed by dusting with sulphur. 



If too many fruits appear, all but the best 



