54 THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES 



the syringe freely, give air carefully, and use the least amount of 

 shading possible. It will very soon be found that by judicious 

 management in shutting up and air giving, the firing may be dispensed 

 with, and then it remains only to syringe freely and train with care. 

 The plants should not be stopped at all, but be taken up direct to 

 the roof and be trained out on a few wires or tarred string, in the first 

 instance right and left, and afterwards along the rafters to meet at the 

 ridge, and form a rich leafy arcade. The fruits will appear in quantity, 

 and must be thinned to prevent over-cropping. They will mostly be 

 handsome and of the finest quality, their own great leaves shading 

 them sufficiently. As the plants grow, earth must be added to the 

 hillocks until there is a continuous bed, on which a certain number of 

 shoots may be trained where there is sufficient light for them. It is 

 best to begin as advised above, with the aid of fire heat, to start the 

 crop for the sake of gaining time ; but if this is not convenient you 

 may begin without fire heat in the last week of May, and the plants 

 will produce fruit until the chill of autumn makes an end of them, 

 and the house is again required for the greenhouse plants. 



WINTER CUCUMBERS thrive best in lean-to houses with some- 

 what steep roofs, as such houses are less liable to chill during cold 

 windy weather, and they catch a maximum of the winter sunshine. 

 In a mild winter, Cucumbers may be grown in any kind of house that 

 can be maintained at a suitable temperature, and the markets are 

 supplied from rough constructions that do duty for many purposes. 

 But when hard times occur, the steep lean-to, with bed along the 

 front, and tank to give equable bottom heat, will prove the most 

 serviceable, as it will neither allow snow to lodge on the glass, nor 

 suffer any serious decline of temperature during the prevalence 

 of sharp frost and keen winds. For late autumn supply any kind of 

 house will suffice, but best of all an airy span. A brick pit will answer 

 every purpose from October to March with good management, and 

 fermenting materials will afford the needful heat. In such cases 

 trenches should be provided for occasional renewal of the bottom 

 heat. But a roomy house and a service of hot water justly stand in 

 favour with experienced cultivators as combining the necessary con- 

 ditions with convenience of management. 



For winter culture, plants are raised from seeds and from cuttings. 

 Seedling plants are the best, because the most vigorous, but they 

 require a little more time than cuttings to arrive at a fruiting state. 

 For pot culture cuttings are best, as we expect only a moderate crop 

 from pot plants, and quickness of production is of great importance. 



