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CUCUMBER. 



Training. The plants must now be trained. We 

 make a simple trellis of No. 18 annealed wire. When 

 there is sufficient room above the benches the plants 

 are trained upon a perpendicular trellis, but on low 

 benches they are trained along the roof. The wires 

 are stretched lengthwise the house in parallel strands 

 from a foot to a foot and a half apart, and cross-wires 

 are run down from the rafters every 4 or 5 feet to pre- 



65. A large 



tmbers. 



vent the strands from sagging. The vines are tied upon 

 the wires with raffia or other soft cord. Two or three 

 strong main branches are trained out, and only enough 

 side shoots are allowed to grow to cover the trellis, the 

 remaining ones being pinched out as soon as they 

 appear. It is essential that the plants do not become 

 "choked" or overcrowded with young growth, and 

 some of the large leaves may be taken off in the dark 

 days of midwinter if the foliage becomes very dense. 



