1072 



Gardening for Amateurs 



A Cucumber is 

 not considered 

 to be perfectly 

 grown unless 

 the bloom re- 

 mains on the 

 end as shown. 



Frame for Cucumbers on hotbed partly in the ground : 

 the banks of manure at the side are known as 

 " linings." 



a dry place until wanted. They help to pro- 

 long the warmth of the hotbed. Mix the 

 Utter and leaves well together, and then 

 throw up into a heap loosely in order that 

 fermentation may be set up. Open out the 

 heap at the end of nine days, to allow rank 

 gases to escape. As soon as it has cooled 

 down, re-form into a heap again, and at the 

 end of nine days open out the second 

 time. Let it cool for a few hours, and then 

 it will be ready to build into a hotbed. 

 Whilst the material is being prepared it must 

 be kept moderately dry ; if allowed to be- 

 come wet, it will heat violently for a short 

 time and soon become cold. On the other 

 hand, the material must not be allowed to 

 get really dry, or it will not ferment. 



The size of the bed will, of course, depend 

 on the size of the frame ; it should be a foot 

 wider than the frame, so that when the heat 

 is declining fresh material may be placed 

 round the sides. It is a good plan to drive 

 four stakes into the ground, one at each 

 corner of the bed, denoting its outline and 

 size. In building up the bed, don't tread it 

 too hard, or there is a danger of its heating 

 violently and becoming cold too soon. As 

 soon as the building up of the bed is finished, 

 place on the frame. 



Some General Hints. The next 

 thing to do is to place in the 

 centre of the light about a bushel 

 of prepared soil, in the form of a 

 mound, the top of which should 

 be some 6 inches from the glass. 

 Close up the frame, say for eight 

 days, leaving only a little air at 

 the top to let out any rank steam 

 that may arise. Bury a ther- 

 mometer in the bed of soil 6 inches 

 deep the day it is formed, and 

 examine every other day. By the 

 end of eight days it will probably 

 indicate about 80 Fahr. As soon 

 as it shows the slightest indication 

 of falling, it is time to put out the 

 plants or to sow seed. If the 

 plants are ready, the fruits will 

 be a fortnight or three weeks 

 earlier. In the absence of plants, 

 sow two seeds about 1 inch deep 

 in the centre of the mound of soil. 

 After the seedlings are up and 



