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them falfe BlofTomsj but this I am 

 tuliy convinced, by many Experi- 

 ments, is wrong ; for thefe Flow- 

 ers are of ablblute Service to pro- 

 mote the Welfare of the Fruit ; 

 which when thefe Male Flowers 

 are intirely taken off, does very 

 ohen fall away and come to no- 

 thing: Nor fhould the Vines be 

 prun'd, as is too often the Pradtice 

 cf unskilful People, eipecially when 

 they are too luxuriant, which often 

 happens when the Seeds were frefh, 

 or of the laft Year's faving, and 

 the Plants in good Herat : If this 

 ihould happen to be the Cafe, it 

 would be very proper to pull up 

 one of the Plants, before it hath 

 run fo far as to intangle with tlie 

 others,' for it often happens, that 

 two or three Plants are better than 

 four or five, when they are vigo- 

 rous; for when the Frame is too 

 much crowded with Vine, the 

 Fruit is feldom good, nor in fuch 

 Plenty, as when there is a more 

 moderate Quantity of Shoots, for 

 the Air being hereby excluded from 

 the Fruit, they often fpot and de- 

 cay, or fall off very young. 



You muft alfb be very careful 

 to cover the GlaiTes every Night, 

 when your Fruit begins to appear, 

 as alfo to lay a little frefh Litter or 

 Mowings of Grafs round the Sides 

 of the Bed, to add a frefh Heat 

 thereto i for if the Heat of the 

 Bed be fpent, and the Nights prove 

 cold, the Fruit will fall away and 

 come to nothing; and when the 

 Sun is extream hot, in the middle 

 of the Day, you mufl cover the 

 Glailes with Mats to fhade the 

 Vines) for altho' they delight in 

 Heat, yet the diredV Rays of the 

 Sun, when it has great Force, are 

 very injurious, by either fcorching 

 tho'ie Leaves which arc near the 

 Ghi^e^s QT by caaling too great a 



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Perfpiration, whereby the extren>^" 

 Part of the Shoots, and the large 

 Leaves are left deftitute of Nourifti- 

 ment, and the Fruit will be at a 

 Stand, and often turn yellow before 

 it arrives at half its Growth. 



At this Time, when your Vines 

 are ipread, fo as to cover the Hot- 

 bed, it will be of great Service, 

 when you water them, tofprinkle 

 them all over gently, fb as not to 

 hurt the Leaves j but obferve to do 

 this not at a Time when the Sua 

 is very hot, for hereby I have 

 known a whole Bed of Cucumbers 

 fpoil'd ; for the Water remaining 

 upon the Surface of the Leaves ia 

 Drops, doth collect the Rays of 

 the Sun as it were to a Focus, and 

 fb fcorches the Leaves, that in one 

 Day's time they have, from a 

 bright Green, become of the Co^ 

 lour of brown Paper. 



Thefe Diredtions, with diligent 

 Obfervation, will be fufficient for 

 the Management of this Crop of 

 Cucumbers \ and Vines thus treated 

 will continue to fupply you with 

 Fruit till Midfummer, by which 

 Time the fecond Crop will come 

 to bear : The Sowing and Ma- 

 naging of v/hich is what I fliall 

 next proceed to. 



About the Beginning of March^ 

 or a little later, according to the 

 Earlinefs of the Seafon, you mufl 

 put in your Seeds, either under a 

 Bell-glafs, or in the Upper-fide of 

 your early Hot- bed i and whea 

 the Plants are come up, they fliould 

 be prick'd upon another moderate 

 Hot-bed, which fliould be ' cover 'd 

 with Bell or Hand-glafTes, plac'd 

 as clofe as pofTible to each other ► 

 The Plants fliould alfo be prick'd 

 at about two Inches diftance from 

 each other, obferving to water and 

 fliade them until they have taken 

 Root, which will be in a very fhort 

 Timer 



