VEGETABLES CUCUMBER. 145 



a Rose Watering-pot, and the sashes put on, and kept close 

 until the seeds begin to germinate, which will be in three 

 or four days. As soon as they are up, the sashes must be 

 raised to admit air, else the sun's rays, acting on the glass, 

 would raise the temperature too high ; at that season of 

 the year the sashes, as a rule, may be tilted up at 8 or 9 

 o'clock in the morning, and shut down by 3 or 4 o'clock 

 in the afternoon. By the time the Cucumber plants have 

 attained two or three of their rough leaves, which will be 

 in about three weeks from the time of sowing, they are 

 planted out in the open ground in hills 3 feet apart each 

 way. The hills should have been previously prepared, by 

 mixing thoroughly with the soil in each, a shovelful of 

 well-rotted manure. 



It is always better to plant in the afternoon, rather than 

 during the early part of the day, as the coolness and mois- 

 ture at night, enable the plants to recuperate from the ef- 

 fects of removal. If the weather is hot and dry, it is safer 

 to give each hill a thorough watering once, immediately 

 after planting. I have recommended sods in preference to 

 flower-pots for starting the Cucumbers, inasmuch as they 

 are not only procurable in all places, but our experience 

 .s, ,hat the sod is even better than the flower-pot ; it better 

 retains moisture, and there is a freshness about sod in 

 svhich the roots of all plants love to revel, and which no 

 composts we can prepare can ever equal. It will be seen 

 that the expense of growing Cucumbers, in this manner, is 

 considerable; to grow enough for an acre about 5000 

 hills it will require the use of at least 20, 3 x 6 sashes, and 

 the preparation of the sod, and attention in airing, etc., 

 until they are fit to plant, will involve ten times more ex- 

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