196 MAKING HORTICULTURE PAY 



place use a fine rake, which should not stir the soil 

 deeper than i inch ; otherwise the damage is irrep- 

 arable, as the roots run just as far as the vines, 

 and to cut them ofif is to destroy the plant's efifort 

 to reproduce. It would be just as good policy to 

 cut ofif the leaves as its roots. In either case the 

 damage is proportionate to the amount of root 

 breaking done. 



" The plants will have made but little growth 

 before insect enemies appear, and a constant war- 

 fare must be kept up. For the destruction of lice, 

 tobacco dust is generally effective, and for the 

 striped beetle paris green in very small quantities 

 is a specific. Before the plants begin to flower, 

 spraying must commence. To wait until blight 

 begins is fatal ; it is to risk the crop. Until the 

 crop is secured, the only safe way is to spray after 

 every hard rain. The ends of the vines should be 

 pinched ofif soon after they begin to flower, to en- 

 courage growth of laterals, which produce fruit. 



" Some Long Island growers plant every fifth 

 row, running east and west, with corn, which af- 

 fords partial shade. They assert this is a great 

 benefit. Most cucumbers grown here are for Ger- 

 man pickles, and are picked when 4 to 5 inches long. 

 These bring about 50 per cent more than the small 

 ones, which are put up in bottles with vinegar. 

 The German pickles are put up in casks with dill 

 and weak brine, and must be used soon, as they will 

 not keep long. Although the large cucumbers 

 bring nearly double the price of the small ones, it 

 is a question whether it is not more profitable to 

 grow the smaller size, because of the greater num- 

 ber the vines will produce. 



" Intense cultivation, which means systematic 

 cultivation, is profitable, as the yield is from 300,000 



