268 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



filled three parts full of compost, 

 adding a little at a time, as the 

 plants require it, until the pots are 

 full. Plenty of water must be given 

 them, without causing the soil to 

 become sodden, and when they are 

 in bearing, occasional soakings of 

 manure-water will be beneficial in 

 keeping them in a healthy state. 



SUMMER AND AUTUMN CUCUM- 

 BERS. Plants put out in September 

 will, if properly treated, continue in 

 bearing until May or June; there- 

 fore, to have plants ready to succeed 

 them, a sowing should be made 

 early in April, and grown either in 

 houses, pits, or hot-beds, whichever 

 is at hand ; these will generally con- 

 tinue in bearing until August, by 

 which time plants that have been 

 put out in cold frames, such as those 

 in which Potatoes have been grown, 

 will be in bearing, and these, if 

 liberally treated, will give a supply 

 far into the autumn. They will, 

 however, require to have linings 

 applied, and be covered up at night 

 when the cold nights set in. If 

 thus treated they will Jast until late 

 in October, by which time those 

 planted for winter will be progress- 

 ing towards fruit-bearing. Where a 

 hot-water pit can be spared, a few 

 plants may be put out in July or 

 August, to give supplies during the 

 early part of the winter. 



GROWING CUCUMBERS ON HOT- 

 BEDS. Though hot-beds have been 

 superseded to a great extent by hot- 

 water pipes, they still occupy a place 

 in gardens, especially in those of 

 moderate extent, and are often 

 very serviceable as Cucumber and 

 propagating frames combined. A 

 moderate and steady temperature is 

 what is required, and this can be 

 secured in a well-made hot-bed for 

 six months. The materials required 

 for a lasting hot-bed are stable litter 

 and leaves in equal quantities; in 



the absence of leaves, use half- 

 decayed hot-bed manure, refuse 

 turf-choppings, or any other mate- 

 rials likely to moderate the fermenta- 

 tion of the stable litter a material 

 to be had in most establishments. 



The first consideration is the 

 choice of a site for the bed, which 

 should always be in a dry and shel- 

 tered situation. Nothing extracts 

 heat so rapidly as cold winds ; in- 

 deed, where a hot-bed is made up 

 annually, it is better to have it 

 sunk two-thirds in the ground. It 

 would be preferable, in fact, to 

 have it wholly in the ground, but as 

 the bed will settle down at least 

 one-third of its height during the 

 summer, the frame would get below 

 the ground-line, which would be in- 

 convenient. For a frame 9 by 5 ft. 

 the pit would require to be 14 ft. 

 long and 10 ft. wide; and if the bed 

 were intended to last eight or nine 

 months it should be quite 4 ft. deep 

 which, allowing one-third of the bed 

 to be above ground, would give a 

 total depth of 6 ft. of fermenting 

 material. If the pit be double- 

 boarded with strong rough deal, so 

 as to form a 2-in. cavity all round 

 between the earth and the sides of 

 the bed, the heat will last a consider- 

 able time longer, as the cavity pre- 

 vents the bed from being robbed of 

 its heat by the cold earth. Another 

 advantage of having a pit for the 

 bed is that the latter is made with 

 greater facility, for it requires a 

 skilled hand to build up a compact 

 and permanent hot-bed on the sur- 

 face of the ground. Whatever kind 

 of site is chosen, the next step is 

 to have the materials placed con- 

 veniently near. These may be 

 thrown roughly together the first 

 time, sprinkling plenty of water 

 upon them if they be at all dry. 

 In a week or ten days the heap 

 will usually be found to be heating 



