VINE VEGETABLES AND FRUITS 



well-decayed manure, is necessary for their success- 

 ful culture. 



The ground should be very thoroughly pre- 

 pared by deep ploughing and repeated dragging 

 and raking. The seeds should be planted in hills 

 four feet apart for cucumbers and six for musk- 

 melons, while eight feet apart will give none too 

 much room for squashes and water-melons. Two or 

 three spadefuls of manure should be incorporated 

 in each hill, which should be raised a little above 

 the surface of the ground. The object in planting 

 in these raised hills is that water may not settle 

 about the plants should excessive rainfall follow 

 the planting. In dry seasons level planting would 

 be all right, but seeds planted on the level in a wet 

 season will be quite certain to decay, and even 

 plants which have come up will damp off under 

 these conditions. Planting on elevated hills is a 

 measure of protection which may be supplemented 

 by covering the hills with a frame of wood or a 

 light box with the bottom knocked out and re- 

 placed with a pane of glass; given this protection, 

 the plants will come through a wet spell fairly 

 well. In the small home garden the use of frames 



is a very practical and satisfactory measure, as 



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