82 AMERICAN GARDENER. 



' dust from the male part will fall off, and adhere 



* to the female part, and fecundate it, causing 

 4 the fruit to keep its colour, swell, and proceed 

 ' fast towards perfection. This business of setting 



* the fruit may be practised through the months 

 ' of February, March, and April, but afterwards 

 1 it will not be accessary ; for the admission of 

 ' so much air as may afterwards be given, will 



* disperse the farina effectually ; but if the wea- 



* ther still is bad, or remarkably calm, setting 



* may be continued a little longer. If short of 

 ' male flowers, one of them iay serv^e to imfireg- 



* nate tive females /" 



146. Lest the American reader should be dis- 

 posed to lament, that such childish work as this 

 is made to occupy the time of English Gardeners, 

 it may not be amiss to inform him, that those to 

 whom the Reverend Gentleman recommends the 

 practising of these mysteries, have plenty of beef 

 and pudding and beer at their master's expense, 

 while they are engaged in this work of impreg- 

 nation ; and that their own living by no means 

 depends, even in the smallest degree, upon the 

 effect of the application of this " fine fertilizing 

 " dust." To say the truth, however, there is 

 nothing of design here, on the part of the gar- 

 dener. He, in good earnest, believes, that this 

 operation is useful to the growth of the fruit of 

 his cucumber plants ; and, how is he to believe 

 otherwise, when he sees the fact gravely taken 

 for granted by such men as a Clergyman of the 

 Church of England ! 



147. Suffice it, now, that we know, that sorts 

 will mix, when seed-plants of the same tribe stand 

 near each other; and we ipay easily suppose, 



