80 THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



The colors and shapes of the leaves are very various and at- 

 tractive. The Crotons make good window-garden subjects, 

 although they are very liable to the attack of the mealy bug. 

 They are propagated readily by cuttings of half-ripened 

 wood any time during winter or spring. The plants should 

 be given an abundance of light in order to bring out their 

 line colors ; but it is usually advisable to screen them from 

 the direct rays of the sun when they are grown under glass. 

 If the red spider or the mealy bug attack them, they may 

 be syringed with tobacco water. Plants which are propa- 

 gated indoors during the winter may be massed in beds 

 out of doors during the summer, where they make very 

 striking effects. Give them rich, deep soil, and be sure 

 that they are syringed frequently enough on the under 

 side of the leaves to keep down the red spider. If the 

 plants have been gradually subjected to strong light before 

 they are taken out of doors, they will stand the full sun- 

 light and will develop their rich colors to perfection. In the 

 fall they may be taken up, cut back and used for window- 

 garden or conservatory subjects. Crotons are shrubs or 

 small trees, and they may be transferred into large pots or 

 tubs and grown on into large tree-like specimens. 



Cucumber. For early use, the Cucumber is 

 usually started in a hotbed or coldframe by sowing the seed 

 on pieces of sod 4 to 6 inches square, turned grass side 

 down. Three or four seeds are placed on or pushed into 

 each piece of sod and covered with 1 to 2 inches of fine soil. 

 The soil should be well watered and the glass or cloth placed 

 over the frame. The roots will run through the sod. When 

 the plants are large enough to set out, a flat trowel or a 

 shingle may be slipped under the sod and the plants moved 

 to the hill without check. In place of sod, old quart 

 berry boxes are good ; after setting in the hill the roots 

 may force their way through the cracks in the baskets. The 

 baskets also decay rapidly. Flower pots may be used. 

 These plants from the frames may be set out when danger 



