!86 CUCUMBER. 



when grown in connection with tomatoes, beans, and 

 other winter crops. Good fruits sell at from 25 to 75 

 cents apiece, and on special occasions even higher. 



General requirements. The general requirements of 

 houses, temperature and moisture are essentially the 

 same as for the forcing of tomatoes and beans. The 

 temperature demanded by English cucumbers is 60 or 

 65 at night and 70 to 75 in the shade during the day. 

 They must have bottom heat, and are, therefore, grown 

 on benches. Cucumbers are vigorous feeders, and water 

 must be abundantly supplied to prevent flagging. In 

 bright weather the air should be kept moist by wetting 

 the walks, both to assist growth and to check the rav- 

 ages of red spider. The greatest care is necessary, 

 however, to dry the house off thoroughly every day or 

 two (particularly in dull weather) to prevent attacks of 

 mildew. These cucumbers have been developed in the 

 mild and humid atmosphere of England, and they seem 

 to be particularly liable to injury by hot suns. We have 

 the best success in growing them under shaded roofs. 



In preparing the beds, which should be 6 to 8 inches 

 deep, we generally place about an inch of clinkers or 

 potsherds on the boards; then follows 3 or 4 inches of 

 partially decayed rich sods, preferably from an old pas- 

 ture, and the bed is then filled with good, rich garden 

 soil, to which has been added one-fourth part of well- 

 rotted manure. If the soil is somewhat sticky when a 

 damp portion of it is pressed in the hand, enough sand 

 is added to make it loose and porous. During the win- 

 ter liquid manure is applied as occasion seems to de- 

 mand. It is imperative that the soil be very rich. Pro- 

 ductiveness in the cucumber is almost entirely a ques- 

 tion of food. Most gardeners suppose that three or four 

 of these large cucumbers are all that a plant can bear at 

 one time; but the crop will depend very greatly upon 

 the food, and the room which they have on the bench. 

 We have had as many as 14 large cucumbers on a vine 



