in the number of cucumber houses is not so great as of those 

 devoted to lettuce. Since, however, most lettuce growers raise a 

 spring crop of cucumbers in their houses each year, the production 

 has increased. The growing of outdoor cucumbers is also carried 

 on extensively in some localities in this State. 



The Cucumber Plant. 



The Cucumber (Cucumis sativus, L.) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae 

 or gourd family, to which other important economic plants, such as 

 the melon, squash, pumpkin, etc. belong. It is a dicotyledonous 

 plant, i. e. it has two cotyledons or seed leaves, which are familiar to 

 all who have observed its germination and development. The 

 cucumber seed is. of medium size, and is not supplied with an over- 

 abundance or great variety of reserve material for independent 

 growth, as shown by its habit of thr wing up its cotyledons quite 

 early in its period of development. The cotyledons are withdrawn 

 from the seed coat at an early period, and as soon as they become 

 exposed to the light they turn green. At this period they commence 

 to assimilate food from the air, the green cotyledons possessing the 

 ability to decompose the atmospheric carbon dioxide under the influ- 

 ence of light. 



The principal reserve materials whicli, seeds contain are starch, 

 proteids and oils. All seeds, however, are not supplied with these 

 three reserve material constituents, but, on the other hand, may 

 possess only two of these, such as proteids and oils. Such seeds as 

 the pea, horse bean, etc., which contain an abundant supply of the 

 three kinds of reserve material, do not lift their cotyledons into the 

 air, but remain beneath the soil ; whereas, such plants as the sun- 

 flower, white lupine, etc., which contain only proteids and oil (consti- 

 tuting a one-sided and incomplete supply of reserve material), imme- 

 diately push their cotyledons above ground. The incomplete reserve 

 material endowment of this latter class of plants causes them to 

 unfold their cotyledons and expose them to the light, by which means 

 they are enabled to assimulate food from the air, thus supplying 

 their inherent deficiencies. 



