242 GARDEN FARMING 



The American ideal of a forcing cucumber is naturally based 

 upon the type grown outdoors, and in general shape and size the 

 fruits must conform to this. This ideal forcing cucumber has a 

 slender form, good length, is cylindrical rather than triangular in 

 shape, and of a uniform green color. At the present time there 

 is no variety upon the market which has all these characteristics. 

 The White Spine is objectionable because of the white markings 

 of most of its fruits, and now and then an albino appears, which 

 is exceedingly objectionable for forcing purposes. The chief objec- 

 tion to white markings upon cucumbers is that as soon as the fruits 

 are removed from the plant these spots have a tendency to turn 

 yellow, suggesting age and deterioration. Fruits which are uni- 

 formly green in color do not show these changes so quickly, and 

 if they are well preserved in cold storage and maintain their crisp- 

 ness of texture, they can be held upon the market much longer than 

 those showing the white markings. From the standpoint of the 

 buyer this characteristic of the white markings is an advantage, 

 in that he can determine whether or not the cucumbers have been 

 upon the market for a long time. 



Frame culture. The cultivation of cucumbers in cold frames is 

 most extensively developed in the vicinity of Norfolk, Virginia, 

 where several thousand frames are annually devoted to this crop. 

 By planting the cucumbers under the frames the last of March or 

 early in April, a product can be brought into the market from about 

 the middle to the last of May. There are some advantages in this 

 method of cultivation, in that the grower not only has under his 

 control the temperature and moisture conditions but can very easily 

 protect the plants from insect enemies. Experienced growers who 

 operate frames make a handsome profit from this enterprise. 



The details of starting the plants are not different from those 

 already described for growing plants in cold frames. The cucumber 

 is seldom started in special frames and transplanted to fruiting 

 frames, although in some instances this may be more economical 

 than sowing the seeds where the plants are to mature. 



If the frames have been devoted to a crop of lettuce prior to 

 using them for cucumbers, seeds of the latter are usually planted 

 among the lettuce before harvesting, so that as soon as the lettuce 

 is out of the way the cucumbers come on and occupy the space. 



