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of sowing the cucumber depends upon 

 the time when the plants are re- 

 quired for final ridging out. Three 

 or four weeks will always be required 

 for raising the plants to a fitness for 

 that purpose. The seed-bed should 

 he made up three and a half feet high 

 at the back, and from two feet six inches 

 to three feet high in the front, and on 

 a dry bottom. The frame should be 

 put on as soon as the bed is made, and 

 the seed should not be sown until the 

 heat of the bed is sweet and healthy, 

 to which state it may be hastened by 

 its surface being stirred once or twice 

 daily and watered, plenty of air also 

 being given. The best material to put 

 on the seed-bed to plunge the pots or 

 pans of seeds in is old tan, or well- 

 rotted dung, or leaf mould, which may 

 be run through a very coarse sieve. 

 With this material the bed may be 

 covered all over, or any part of it, to 

 any thickness to suit the purpose in- 

 tended, and its being sifted makes it 

 the more pleasant to handle, either for 

 raising the plants nearer to the glass 

 or lowering them. The seeds may be 

 sown either in small pots or in pans, 

 and the seedlings to be moved from one 

 to three plants in a pot. If sown in 

 the pots so as not to need shifting, the 

 pots may be crocked, and a little better 

 than half filled with earth, and three 

 seeds in each covered half an inch 

 deep. "When the plants are up, they 

 may be thinned either to one or two in 

 each pot ; and as the plants advance in 

 height so the pots may be filled up 

 with rich light earth, which should be 

 kept in the frame for the purpose ; also 

 a small pot of water should be kept in 

 the frame, for moistening the earth or 

 sprinkling the plants when required. 

 The plants should be kept within three 

 or four inches of the glass. Three or 

 four sowings may be made (luring 

 January. It is important to have the 

 seed-bed in the winter months defended 

 from piercing winds, by thatched hur- 

 dles both on the west, north, and east 

 sides. As soon as the young plants 

 have formed two rough leaves they 

 should be stopped. 



Fruiting Bed. The materials for 

 making up either this or the seed-beds 



should be thoroughly well worked by 

 being turned over four or five times, 

 shaken together well and mixed, and 

 if dry and husky thoroughly well 

 watered at the two first turnings, n- 

 the work goes on. The lumps should 

 be broken up, and the short mixed 

 with the long, until the whole mass 

 has one uniform appearance, and is 

 nearly half rotten. The size of the 

 beds depends on the season. In Feb- 

 ruary, six feet high at the back and 

 three feet in front ; and if in January, 

 a foot higher will be required ; and if 

 March, a foot less will be sufficient. A 

 dry bottom in all cases, and the mate- 

 rials well put together, shaken up and 

 beat down well as the work goes on ; 

 and the bed should be always six or 

 eight inches wider than the frame all 

 round. As soon as completed, put on 

 the frame and lights. When settled, 

 and all become sweet and healthy, the 

 hillocks of earth may be put on for the 

 young plants to be placed in, but before 

 the hillocks are made, particularly in 

 the early season, when the very strong- 

 beds cause some danger of burning, 

 some preventive measures must be 

 adopted. Almost every dung-bed cu- 

 cumber grower has his favourite way 

 to prevent this occurrence. Some pave 

 the bottom of the hillock with six or 

 eight bricks ; others with a thick 

 twist of straw or some hay -bands, 

 over which three or four inches thick 

 of cowdung are placed of about the 

 substance of mortar ; others, again, 

 remove a little of the centres, and 

 place therein a good thick turf with the 

 grass side turned downward, and on 

 this a good thick paste of cowdung. 

 But the best plan for the bottom of the 

 | hillocks is that given by Mr. Ellington,, 

 j in The Cottage Gardener, at page 164 of 

 ' vol. in., by carrying up a cold bottom 

 j of brick-bats, &c., from the bottom of 

 ! the bed, as the work goes on. Which- 

 ever method is adopted, the hillock 

 j must be about a bushel of rich earth 

 prepared for the purpose, and in a cone 

 ; shape, so as to bring the plants within 

 | six or seven inches of the glass. Do 

 j not cover the whole surface of the beds 

 ! with earth at this time ; for, should the 

 ! beds be very strong, it may be neces 



