CUCUMBER. 329 



is certain to develop the Red Spider, which is fatal to 

 success. It may also be here stated, if Cucumbers are to 

 be forced during the winter months, that, to keep up the 

 necessary high temperature, eight runs of four-inch pipes 

 will be required in a greenhouse twenty feet wide. 



Although there is no necessity for artificial impregna- 

 tion of the Cucumber flowers when grown in the open 

 air, where the insects and winds do the work, yet, when 

 grown in the forcing house, it is absolutely necessary, 

 particularly in midwinter. This is best done with a 

 camel's hair pencil, by detaching the pollen, or fertilizing 

 dust, from the stamens and applying it to the stigma. It 

 will also facilitate impregnation on bright days to slightly 

 jar the Avire trellis, so as to let the pollen loose, which, 

 in floating through the air, fastens on the stigma. The 

 Cucumber and all plants of that class have the male and 

 female flowers separate on the same plant. Cucumbers 

 from seed sown in October will give a continuous crop 

 until June of course, if well handled. When wanted 

 only to succeed crops of forced Lettuce, Eadishes, or 

 Strawberries in spring, the seed should not be sown 

 until February or March. The variety for forcing which 

 seems to be most favorably received in our markets is 

 Selected Early White Spine, though, of late years, the 

 beautiful long kinds, such as Telegraph and Rambler, 

 which are almost exclusively used in Europe for forcing, 

 are beginning to be favorably received. 



Although Cucumbers are now to be found in our 

 markets at nearly all seasons of the year, grown at the 

 south, yet they never have the fine appearance nor the 

 delicate flavor of those grown by being forced under 

 glass ; so that large areas of forcing houses for this and 

 other vegetable and fruit crops are now profitably used 

 in all our large cities, though coming in direct compe- 

 tition with Southern products. 



