Culture of the Cucumber. 279 



sionally ; and about the middle of September they should have 

 all the late fruit blossom and laterals (if any) taken quite away, 

 and the leaders stopped, and sometimes by ending a leaf that may 

 shade the fruit will be of use. The shoots should be examined 

 to see that they are secure, as the fruit now will begin to be 

 heavy. When this is all finished, I get a number of spare 

 frame lights, and place them before the plants, securing the 

 lights to the wall by string, so that the wind cannot act upon 

 them. If I have not lights enough, and the nights should be a 

 little cold, I place sticks in a sloping direction against the walls, 

 and cover the plants with mats every evening, uncovering them 

 as soon as convenient in the morning. By this treatment I have 

 had the fruit both very fine and early, and I scarcely need add 

 that, during the autumn, there will be several gatherings of ripe 

 fruit. 



You will be surprised to hear that there are gardeners, even 

 in these days of cheap knowledge, who will not profit by the 

 labours of others, either by reading or observing, but must go 

 on in their own often obsolete way, yet such is the fact ; for if 

 any thing new and rather out of the common way be shown 

 them in the shape of drawings, articles on culture, &c, they 

 will flatly tell you they are deceptions, and that they want no 

 " new-fangled systems." Many gardeners that have seen my 

 love-apple plants this year will say : " Bless me ! you are pre- 

 cious soon with the tomatoes. Why, they will be a great deal 

 too soon," &c. I say : " How so ? What time do you sow your 

 seed ?" " Oh ! not before March or April." " What sort of 

 a crop had you last year?" I ask. " Oh ! I got none, they 

 did not ripen ; they were too late." So, you see, they show 

 their own blindness. " Well ! will you have a few plants?" 

 " Oh ! yes, I will take a few ; I begin to see you are right." 

 Now, it is evident, by my neighbours' own account, that my me- 

 thod is worth a trial ; because last year they had no fruit them - 

 selves, and I had a good crop, and a few to spare to give away. 

 I am sorry that some are so very sceptical, and think too much 

 of their own ways ; to such I would say, " Give things a fair 

 trial, and prove before you condemn." 



Aprils 1842. 



Art. XIII. Culture of the Cucumber. By N. M. T. 



Almost every person claiming to be a gardener has his cucum- 

 ber bed in some form or other, where he grows what he is 

 generally pleased to call his own sort, after his own fashion ; 

 most frequently in the old-fashioned dung-frame, which still 

 holds, and is likely to hold, its place, notwithstanding the deluge 



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