CHAP. I. CULINAEY VEGETABLES. 127 



1. The one grows to a very large size, is green when young 

 and becomes darker as it ripens, and mottled with whitish stripes 

 from end to end. This seems to be the Nepal kind, described 

 by Don and other writers as cultivated in Calcutta, and growing 

 to as much as seventeen inches long. I have not met with it of 

 that size, but find that it is considered very large when of no 

 more than twelve or fourteen inches in length. It is hardly 

 fit for eating uncooked when more than six inches long ; much 

 beyond that size it is tough and tasteless. 



2. The other is of smaller growth, and of a creamy- white 

 colour when young, turning to a rusty colour at the ends as it 

 ripens. This answers nearly to the description of the one 

 called the " White Turkey." It is the better of the two for 

 stewing; cooked in which way it affords a very delicious 

 dish during the Eains, when so few other vegetables are to 

 be had. 







The plants of these two kinds have very long and powerful 

 stems, which are generally trained to run up a tree. The seed 

 is sown in July or later, and the Cucumbers are in season during 

 all the Eains. 



I have tried to raise Cucumber plants from American seed at 

 the same period of the year, but uniformly without success. 

 The plants made no growth, became sickly, and perished with- 

 out blossoming. Towards the end of the Rains I have raised 

 plants which blossomed and gave promise of fruit, but perished 

 without yielding any, I have again sown the seed at the end 

 of October, and the plants, put out in rich soil in large deep 

 earthen pans, and trained upon a trellis in a verandah, have in 

 two months' time produced small Cucumbers, with much of the 

 flavour and delicacy of the European vegetable ; and no doubt 

 would have been much finer had I sown English seed of a 

 superior sort. The great difficulty in cultivating this vegetable, 

 when raised from imported seed, is to protect it from the ravages 

 of certain small red beetles, which visit the plants in great 

 numbers, and entirely devour the leaves as soon as the first four 

 or five are formed. A rough framework of bamboo might be 

 easily constructed, with common musquito-curtain leno stretched 

 over it, which would perhaps be a safeguard against their depre- 

 dations. The trifling expense thus ID cur red would be well 

 bestowed to obtain this delicious vegetable in perfection. 



