KITCHEN-GARDEN PLANTS. CHAP. 



runners go on, giving their heads a better direction, now- 

 and-then, in order to cover the ground in the bed ; for 

 they will need no more topping. But, there must be 

 earthing up, as well as topping. As the plants advance 

 above ground, so they will below ground, and you must 

 keep putting up earth to the hills in order to supply 

 fresh food for the roots which you will find pushing out 

 in every direction. It is the practice of some gardeners, 

 to be everlastingly drawing the earth away from the side 

 of the hills till they come to the plants, in order to take 

 the points of the roots up and put earth under them, so 

 as to give the roots a horizontal direction. This is sheer 

 nonsense. All that is necessary, is, to keep the hills 

 continually made larger and larger in circumference, as 

 the roots approach the outside, and until you have got all 

 the bed level to the tops of the hills. As you extend the 

 circumference of the hills, the runners will advance upon 

 you j and, that the bed may be covered evenly with the 

 vines, the runners should be occasionally held down by 

 little pegs of wood with hooks at the top of them. At 

 last the bed is even and level all over. And, finally, it 

 is covered with the vines, and should always be kept quite 

 clear of the innumerable weeds that will start in such a 

 favourable situation ; but, long before this, there will be 

 blossoms and even fruit, if the plants be in good health. 

 The first fruit that appears generally remains small, and 

 never swells to any size ; but these are soon followed by 

 others that swell and that come to perfection j and, if all 

 these directions be attended to, and, if the weather be 

 not worse than it is one year out of twenty, you can 

 hardly fail to have cucumbers to cut about the middle of 

 March, which is a very fine thing for a gardener to say j 





