CUCUMBER 55 



It is usual to sow the first lot of seeds on the ist of September, and 

 to sow again on the ist of October and the ist of November ; after 

 which it is not advisable to sow again until the ist of February, for 

 the spring crop. If the management is good the first sowing will be 

 in fruit by the time the third batch of seed is sown, say, by the first 

 week of November, and thenceforward throughout the winter there 

 should be no break in the supply. 



The management of winter Cucumbers turns upon details chiefly, 

 and will be found in the end to 'depend rather upon care than skill, 

 for as regards the general principles they are the same as in growing 

 Cucumbers in frames, the task for the cultivator being to carry them 

 out successfully. We will begin by sowing the seed singly in small 

 pots in light turfy loam, or peat with which a fair proportion of sharp 

 sand has been mixed. These pots we place in a heat of 70 to 75, 

 and for plants to last long we should prefer the lower temperature. As 

 regards the next stage, we may train the plants up rafters, or spread 

 them out on beds, the first being always the better plan where it 

 happens to be convenient. But the prudent cultivator will not be 

 tied to rules, he will cut his coat according to his cloth, and while he 

 has a house of Cucumbers trained to the roof, he will, perhaps, also 

 have a pit filled with plants on beds. To stop severely is bad 

 practice, for we want vigorous growth, but a certain amount of stop- 

 ping must be done to promote an even growth, and to distribute the 

 fruit fairly both in space and time. There has been too much said 

 about soil, because in many places a suitable turfy loam, or a good 

 fibrous peat, may be obtained, and the accidents that have befallen 

 Cucumber growers have usually been the result of bad management 

 in respect of heat, water, and air, rather than the use of unsuitable 

 soil. But it must not be supposed that we are careless about this 

 matter. Neither a pasty clay, a sour sticky loam, nor a poor sandy or 

 chalky soil will produce fine Cucumbers. On the other hand, rank 

 manure or poor leaf-mould are not favourable materials. There is 

 nothing like mellow loam, which can be enriched and modified at 

 discretion, without going to extremes. This being at command, the 

 rest depends on daily attention and prudent watchfulness, which will 

 be abundantly rewarded, for winter Cucumbers, when well done, are 

 as profitable as any crop grown in our gardens. 



RIDGE CUCUMBERS are grown in much the same way as recom- 

 mended for Vegetable Marrows. They may be put on hillocks or 

 beds, and in either case a foundation of fermenting material is 

 required to insure a crop in the early part of the summer. For a 



