Frame Cucumbers. 205 



sub-laterals to break away, which can be trained one to each 

 corner of the light. Let them go until within 9in. of the corner 

 when they must be stopped. These will throw out shoots 

 which must be regulated according to the space available, being 

 stopped or removed altogether when there is danger of over- 

 crowding. Fruit will now begin to show; none should be 

 allowed on the main stems, and only three or four to each 

 quarter, the rest being picked off. The plants should never be 

 allowed to bear too heavily or they will soon become weak and 

 cease to bear altogether, whereas when they are cropped in 

 moderation and the fruit is cut as soon as it is ready, the plants 

 continue vigorous much longer, the fruit is of better quality, 

 and the total crop ultimately gathered is much greater. 



The main shoots should be pegged down to the bed, which 

 will cause roots to form at each joint and thus give die plant 

 new accessions of strength. Keep the growths well thinned 

 out and evenly disposed over the soil, never allowing them to 

 become a tangled mass. Cut out shoots which have fruited 

 and train new ones in their place. When the leaves are crowded 

 a few of the oldest may be removed, so that all may get a full 

 exposure to sunlight, but remember that whilst it is courting 

 failure to allow the plants to become a jungle of growth, it is 

 equally bad to overdo the thinning, a sufficiency of healthy 

 foliage being necessary to the well-being of the plant and the 

 production of fruit. 



The next matters of importance are the ventilation, the tem- 

 perature, and the watering. The temperature to be desired is 

 70 degrees by day (which may rise 15 degrees higher by sun 

 heat without injury) and 60 degrees by night. For the first 

 few weeks there should be no difficulty in maintaining the 

 necessary warmth by the aid of the manure under and the 

 linings round the frames, assisted by the covering of mats at 

 night." By the middle of June the heat in the manure will have 

 passed away, and the best will have to be made of the natural 

 weather conditions. As a rule there is little to fear in this 

 respect, though if the weather should prove cold ventilation 

 and water must both be given very sparingly. 



With free growth and genial weather water must be given 

 without stint each morning to the plants requiring it, but those 



