BOOK XIX. XXIII. 66-xxiv. 69 



may be observed to take place even in a single night, 

 because if a vessel with water is put underneath 

 theni they descend towards it a hand's breadth before 

 the next niornino;. but if oil is siniilarly near they will 

 be found curved into crooked shapes. Also if their 

 flower is passed down into a tube they grow to a 

 remarkable length. Curious to say, just recently a 

 new form of cucumber has been produced in Cam- 

 pania, shaped hke a quince. I am told that first one 

 grew in this shape by accident, and that later a 

 variety was estabHshed grown from seed obtained from 

 this one : it is called apple-pumpkin. Cucumbers of 

 this kind do not hang from the plant but grow of a 

 round shape lying on the ground ; thev have a golden 

 colour. A remarkable thing about them, beside their 

 shape, colour and smell, is that when they have 

 ripened, although they are not hanging down they at 

 once separate from the stalk. Columella gives a plan xi. 

 of his own for getting a supply of cucumbers all the 

 year round — to transplant the largest blackbcrrv bush 

 available to a warm, sunny phice, and about the spring 

 equinox to cut it back, leaving a stump two inches 

 long ; and then to insert a cucumber seed in the pith of 

 the bramble and bank up fine earth and manure round 

 the roots, so that they may withstand the cold. The 

 Grceks have produced three kinds of cucumbers,the 

 Spartan, the Scytahc and the Boeotian ; of these it is 

 said that only the Spartan variety is fond of water. 

 Some peoplc tell us to steep cucumber seed in the 

 plant called ciilix pounded up before sowing it, which 

 will produce a cucumber having no seed. 



XXIV. The gourd is also of a similar nature, at oourdt: 

 all events in its manner of growing : it has an equal ^^"0/"'"' 

 aversion for cold and is equally fond of water and growing. 



465 



