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The Quantity of Holes neceflary 

 for a Family is about fifty or fixty, 

 for if you have fewer, they will 

 not produce enough to pay for 

 Pickling, without keeping them 

 too long in the Houfe, for you 

 can't expt6fc to gatiier more than 

 two hundred at each Tmie from 

 fifty Holes 5 but this may be done 

 twice a Week during the v/hole 

 Seafbn, which commonly lafts five 

 Weeks j fo that from fifty Holes, 

 you may reafbnably expedl to ga- 

 ther about two thoufand in the 

 Seafon, which, if they are taken 

 imall, will not be too many for a 

 private Family, efpecially confix 

 dering, that if ycu have fewer 

 Holes, the Quantity each Week 

 produc'd will fcarceiy be worth 

 ihe Trouble of Pickling. 



But left I fhould be cenfur'd by 

 thofe who delight in having very 

 early Cucumbers, for omitting what 

 they call an elTential Part of Gar- 

 dening, I fhali beg Leave here to 

 fubjoin a fhort Account of a Me- 

 thod which I have us'd with very 

 good Succefs, to obtain Cmnmbers 

 very early j which is, I fowed 

 the Seeds in the Beginning of 

 January, and after having rais'd 

 my Plants in the Manner before 

 directed, until they put forth 

 their rough Leaves, 1 prcpar'd 

 fome looie wrought Baskets, about 

 eight Inches Diameter, and five 

 Inches deep, with two fmall Han- 

 dles to each i then I made a frefh 

 Hot-bed of good Strength, which 

 would hold a Frame of two Lights j 

 on this I plac'd the Baskets, which 

 were almoft full of good light 

 Earth, as near to each other as 

 poflible, by which means this fmall 

 Bed would contain eighteen or 

 twenty Baskets^ then I fill'd up the 

 Spaces between the Baskets with 

 the ikmc light Earth as wis put 



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into the Baskets, putting the Fram^ 

 and GlafTes over the Bed, which in 

 two Days was in a proper Tempe- 

 rature of Heat to reeeive the 

 Plants; then I put five into each 

 Basket, obferving to water and 

 fhade them unt)i they had taken 

 Root; afterwards managing them 

 as was before diredled for the firft 

 Crop of Cucumbers, obferving when 

 the Bed began to lofe its Heat, to 

 lay a litde frefli Dung round the 

 Sides, which added a nev/ Heat to 

 the Bed. In this Frame I fuffer'd 

 them to remain until the Plants 

 were laid down, and had run to 

 the Sides of the Baskets ; then I 

 prepar'd the Ridge, which I made 

 of a good Subflance in Dung, and 

 after it had lain two or three Days 

 to heat, I remov'd the Plants in 

 the Baskets, placing one into the 

 Hole in the middle of earh Light; 

 Thefe Plants, in a fhort Time after, 

 produc'd Fruit, which, by the 

 good Temper of Heat in the Bed, 

 grew fo faft, that in three Weeks 

 aft:er lemoving the Baskets I cut 

 Cucumbers. There are feveral Ad- 

 vantages in this Management; firft, 

 you can keep the Baskets in a fmall 

 Room for a confiderable Time> 

 whereby your Frames may be em- 

 p'.oy'd in otheri.Ufes ; And fecondly, 

 a lefs Quantity of Dung is requir'd 

 in this way : Thirdly, when the 

 Plants are in Baskets, if you find 

 your Bed too hot, it is but raifing 

 up the Baskets, and they are fecure 

 from any Danger i and when the 

 violent Heat is over, they may be. 

 fettled down again : And laftly, by 

 having your Plants fo. forward for 

 Fruit when they are put into the 

 Ridges, the Heat of the Bed con- 

 tinues to fet and bring off the firft 

 Crop of Fruit ; for want of which 

 kindly Heat, the firft Setting or 

 Crop of Fruit which appears upor\ 



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