THE CUCUMBER. 171 



tude. In the middle of Florida, it may be safe to plant 

 any time in January, 



SOIL AND SOWING. 



The land best adapted to the cucumber is a moist, 

 warm, light, sandy loam; although sandy soil is not so 

 productive, the finest and earliest cucumbers may be 

 grown on it if highly and properly fertilized. A manure 

 rich in nitrogen will produce fruit of the de- 

 sirable dark-green color. The usual method 

 of planting cucumbers is in hills, either four 

 or five, or even six feet apart each way, ac- 

 cording to the nature and fertility of the soil. 

 The land being properly plowed and har- 

 rowed, furrows are run by the plow, crossing 

 each other at right angles. At each crossing 

 one or two shovelfuls of good stable manure, 

 or compost, or failing these, an equivalent 

 quantity of any other good fertilizer is inti- 

 mately mixed with the soil, and a hill, flat on 

 top, and a little elevated above the general WHITE-SPINE 



.., ., T T CUCUMBER. 



surface, is made with the hoe. In a furrow 

 one-half to one inch deep, made by the hand across 

 the middle of the hill, sow from ten to fifteen seeds. 

 A week later, whether any of the seeds first planted 

 are up or not, a second sowing is made, at a sufficient 

 distance from the first to avoid disturbing it, and 

 always on the same side of it. A week later still, a third 

 sowing may be made on the other side of the first. Should 

 a frost kill the growing plants of the first seeding, before 

 those of the second are up, plants from the second may 

 be made available for the crop, The same rule applies to 

 the last sowing. 



CULTIVATION. 



When probability of frost has passed, and the plants 

 are sufficiently large, they are to be thinned to two or 



