208 GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT. 



house is available for starting the plants, a hotbed 

 should be made for them ; the same as for the cucumber. 

 As recommended for the cucumber, it is well to fill 

 the pots or boxes only about half full at first, thus allow- 

 ing of the application of a liberal amount of rich com- 

 post, when needed 



TRAINING AND PRUNING. 



As soon as the plants start into growth after being 

 fiLally transplanted, some arrangement should be made 

 for supporting them. They may be tied to stakes (Fig. 

 76) with raffia,- or, which is perhaps a better method, to 

 vertical supports of linen twine. If a stout wire is run 

 along the rafters over each row of plants, the twine can 

 be fastened to it as a support, while the lower end can 

 be held in place by a stake, inserted near the plants, or it 

 can be tied to the plant near the ground. Others use 

 trellises similar to those described for the cucumber. 

 If early fruits are desired, the vines should be trained 

 to simple shoots, and all suckers that form in the axils 

 should be rubbed out as soon as they show themselves. 

 At the hight of six feet, the growth of the main shoot 

 should be stopped. If the growth is so rank as to shade 

 the plants, some of the larger leaves should be pinched 

 off, but if they have plenty of light and air, the leaves 

 should all be allowed to develop, unless they become 

 diseased, when they should be removed and burned. 



When the crop is not particularly needed as an early 

 one, two or three shoots mavbe trained from each plant, 

 if desired. In either case, uhe method of pruning and 

 training is the same, and the shoots should be tied at 

 frequent intervals, to hold them in place. If the plants 

 have been set about twenty inches apart each way (from 

 eighteen to twenty-four according to the variety), the 

 pruning recommended above will be ample. 



For the winter and early spring crops, artificial fer- 

 tilization of the blossoms is very desirable. At the 



