88 Southern Gardener^s Practical Manual 



to run, pinch off the ends to increase branching. Continue 

 shallow cultivation until the vines cover the ground, but 

 do not move the vines. Gather the green cucumbers as 

 soon as large enough for use, except a few typical speci- 

 mens to be left for seed. For this purpose, select the 

 finest specimens, and save enough to last several years. 

 Dry, label with the name of the variety and the year in 

 which they were grown, and store where rats and mice 

 will not find them. They are good for eight or ten years. 

 Old seed is preferred to fresh, for the reason that the 

 weaker seed perishes and we have a natural selection of 

 the best. If very early cucumbers are desired, plant a 

 few seeds in the greenhouse or hotbed. As soon as the 

 plants fully develop their seed-leaves, transplant to two- 

 inch pots filled with rich loam and sink the pots in the 

 hotbed or coldframe, well protected from frost. Shade 

 for. a few days until they are well established, and keep 

 moist but not wet. After danger of frost has passed, 

 turn them from the pots into open ground after saturat- 

 ing the soil in the pots. The planting of the seed should 

 be so timed that the plants will have begun to run by 

 the time those planted in the open ground vegetate. I 

 have hastened fruiting two weeks by this method. 



The best and most popular variety for both family 

 use and market is the Early White Spine. More of these 

 are planted than of all other varieties combined. Early 

 Russian, Early Cluster and Early Frame are popular 

 varieties for both table and pickling. Long Green is an 

 old variety which is a good table cucumber, but is grown 

 principally for pickling. The fruit is long, of uniform 

 shape and a deep green color. 



