414 The Principles of Vegetable -Gardening 



pick off the first fruit if it sets much in advance of the 

 main crop. Although the land should be rich, the fer- 

 tility should be available early in the season rather than 

 late, else the growth may be delayed too long. Lands 

 that are very rich in nitrogenous materials may cause 

 the plants to grow to vine at the expense of fruit. If 

 there seems to be a tendency for the plants to go to vine, 

 it is a good practice to pinch off the ends of the leading 

 shoots. Usually, however, this practice is not necessary 

 unless the season is very short. 



Since the fruits of cucumbers are used when they are 

 young, the productivity of the plants may be greatly 

 enhanced by picking the fruits as soon as they are fit. 

 The patch should be gone over every two or three days 

 at least, and if the area is large, it should be picked over 

 every day. If one fruit is allowed to ripen it may pre- 

 vent the setting of other fruits on the vine. If seeds of 

 cucumbers are desired, it is best to reserve a few hills 

 especially for that purpose. Cucumbers for the main or 

 pickling crop are usually grown from seeds planted 

 directly in the fields as soon as frost is past. 



CUCUMBER AND GHERKIN 



Hills of cucumber are usually made about 4x4 or 4x5 feet 

 apart; sometimes they are 4x6, for the large late varieties. At 

 4x4 feet, 2,722 hills are contained on an acre. Four or five plants 

 are allowed to remain in each hill. About two pounds of seeds are 

 calculated to plant an acre, or 1 ounce for 70-80 hills. If the 

 striped bugs are bad, plant heavily. An average acre should yield 

 100 bushels for pickling. Under the best conditions, 400 and 500 

 bushels of pickling cucumbers are raised to the acre. 



