270 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



quantity of wood at one time. After 

 this the training of the plants con- 

 sists in laying the shoots out, so as 

 to cover the bed, stopping them 

 regularly, and disposing of them 

 generally so as to secure the greatest 

 amount of light and air possible to 

 every leaf. The plants should not 

 be allowed to bear too heavily, if 

 expected to keep up the supply for 

 any length of time. When cropped 

 moderately, and the fruit cut as fast 

 as it is ready, the plants bear con- 

 tinuously from April to November. 



SOIL AND MANURE. A great 

 depth of soil is unnecessary for 

 Cucumbers ; indeed, it is to be 

 avoided, for they will succeed far 

 better if they be planted in a little 

 soil at first, and receive frequent 

 top-dressings afterwards. For plant- 

 ing, 8 or 10 in. of soil is quite deep 

 enough, if the bed receive slight 

 dressings of stable manure mixed 

 with soil to keep the plants in a 

 vigorous state of health. Good turfy 

 loam mixed with rotten manure is 

 the best material in which to plant 

 them, but the dressing should be of 

 a richer nature. Many people use 

 a quantity of peat mixed with the 

 loam for winter Cucumbers; others 

 use leaf-mould, but it is too light : 

 the plants thrive well in it, but do 

 not last so long nor fruit so freely as 

 when grown in more holding soil. 

 Cocoa-nut fibre refuse is highly 

 recommended by some as a good 

 dressing for Cucumber beds; but 

 stable manure is by far the best kind 

 of surfacing, and may be applied 

 fresh from the stable, and if a little 

 old mortar or brick rubbish be mixed 

 therewith, it will be better still. 

 Weak guano-water is the best kind 

 of stimulant to apply to Cucumbers ; 

 other kinds of manure-water are 

 said to affect the flavour of the 

 fruit. Abundance of water is at 

 all times necessary to Cucumber- 



plants growing under advantageous 

 circumstances. 



IN MARKET-GARDENS. During 

 summer the long ranges of pits and 

 frames in market-gardens devoted 

 in winter to the production of 

 tender culinary plants are applied 

 to Cucumber culture, and from 

 these are cut thousands of fruits 

 weekly. Indeed, few frame crops 

 pay better than Cucumbers where 

 they succeed well, and therefore 

 every frame that can possibly be 

 spared is planted with them. One 

 grower at Fulham has a field 

 of frame-ground, containing many 

 ranges of frames with from 800 to 

 1,000 ordinary sashes, in summer 

 entirely devoted to Cucumbers. 

 From this field are sent to market 

 weekly during the summer from 200 

 to 220 dozen fruit. Two or three 

 men are usually kept at work in 

 these frame-grounds, and on three 

 days of the week (Monday, Wednes- 

 day, and Friday) they are employed 

 in cutting fruit for market, and on 

 the other three week-days they are 

 busy stopping and regulating the 

 shoots of the Cucumbers, watering, 

 etc. Should any young fruits ex- 

 hibit a tendency to become crooked, 

 they put them into cylindrical glasses 

 open at both ends. These glasses 

 are about 12 or 15 in. long, and 

 i or 2 in. in diameter, and several 

 thousands of them are employed in 

 one large frame-ground, as one good 

 and straight Cucumber is worth 

 nearly a dozen small and deformed 

 ones. The crooked ones are dis- 

 posed of for pickling. Should any 

 " nosed " fruits, as they are termed, 

 or such as have swelled at the point, 

 be found, which occurs late in the 

 season, a piece of string is tied round 

 them, and they are left to ripen, as 

 such fruits are certain to contain 

 good seed. When the seed-fruits 

 become yellow and are cut, they are 



