198 HORTICULTURE 



seed should be sown in shallow boxes and kept in a warm place 

 until the young plants have formed at least two rough leaves 

 before attempting to transplant them. These plants are very 

 tender and should not be set out until all danger from frost is 

 past. Should the weather set in very warm, it will be advisable 

 to shade the young plants from the sun. It will also be necessary 

 to protect the plant against the potato bugs, which seem especially 

 fond of preying upon its leaves. When the plant matures it bears 

 a large purple-skinned fruit a little larger than the Ben Davis 

 apple. 



The cucumber can be grown very easily by any one, and it is a 

 very popular article of. diet in the summer time and fall. The 

 cucumber is a native of southern Asia, and was brought to 

 America, at an early date, by English colonists. In planting sow 

 about a dozen seed in a place, and arrange the plants in four-foot 

 rows. After the plants come up, thin them down to four or five 

 in each group. The yield will be greatly improved if the soil 

 has been previously enriched with a liberal dressing of well-rotted 

 manure. After the plants come up, give frequent, but shallow, 

 cultivation until the runners from the plants cover the ground. 

 Remove the cucumbers as fast as they become large enough to use, 

 and always clip them from the vine with a knife instead of pulling 

 them off by hand. If the growth of the vine is too rank, pinch off 

 the terminal and some of the lateral buds. Slacked lime, tobacco 

 dust, and wood ashes will be found useful in keeping off beetles 

 and other insects which attack the plants. 



The watermelon came originally from tropical Africa, and has 

 been cultivated from early times. It is now grown extensively 

 in many parts of the world, and especially in the United States. 

 The seed should be planted in rich ground, well manured, and in 

 hills about eight feet apart. The manure should be well rotted 

 and the seed should not be planted over an inch deep in the soil. 

 As in the case of cucumbers, it will be found advisable not to plant 

 the seed until the ground has become thoroughly warm and all 

 danger from frost has passed. The best melons are raised in 

 Georgia and Oklahoma. 



The muskmelon is a native of Asia, but is now extensively cul- 

 tivated in many parts of the United States. New Jersey, Mich- 



