Culture of the Cucumber. 281 



production of cucumbers a matter of no difficulty, the sashes of 

 the frames are never (save to perform some necessary operation) 

 raised to admit air; nor, during the most intense sunshine, is 

 shading of any sort ever applied. The frame is also closely 

 glazed, and in perfect repair : this I consider essential to suc- 

 cess ; open laps, or any sort of dilapidation, by allowing ingress 

 of air and escape of moisture, would render this plan as liable 

 to casualties as any other. The frames are also set so far south- 

 east as to meet the rays of the sun directly in front, between 

 nine and ten o'clock ; this is, for the practice followed, much 

 better than due south, as the plants are dried of any moisture 

 that may rest upon them before the sun is too powerful. This 

 position also makes the most of the sunshine that may occur at 

 an early part of the day, when its influence would be little felt 

 without such an arrangement ; while the effects of the meridian 

 rays, so often injuriously powerful, are, by the oblique direction 

 so given, much qualified. Due south is probably the worst 

 position in which to place a glass case for any horticultural 

 purpose. 



When speaking of the early sun drying the moisture from* 

 the plants in a frame placed south-east, I would be understood 

 that the globules of moisture that may be concentrated upon 

 them or the glass covering are dispersed, set in motion, and 

 taken up by the surrounding air, which, let it be remembered, 

 contains moisture in proportion to the degree to which it is 

 heated ; and, in the close system, upon this alone the safet}' of 

 the plant depends ; as, by the time the temperature reaches 

 100° or 130° (a frequent occurrence), the leaves may be said to 

 float in liquid, to retain which around them the close entire 

 frame mentioned is necessary. If the moisture, in any con- 

 siderable quantity, escape, that upon the frame and surface of 

 the mould soon gets exhausted, and a ruinous drain commences 

 upon the foliage of the plants; drooping or flagging being the 

 immediate consequence, from the whole nourishment required 

 being drawn from the roots, instead of being in greater part 

 supplied by the atmosphere through the leaves. Nor is the 

 injury thus inflicted repaired when the frames are shut up, and 

 the leaves have assumed their ordinary position, although it may 

 appear to be so; for the arid, exhausting, and foodless atmo- 

 sphere so destructive to vegetable, so genial to animal, life, inva- 

 riably creates myriads of those pests that prey upon debility 

 and disease, which are unquestionably the effect, instead of, as 

 is usually assumed, the cause ; and it is no small recommenda- 

 tion to the close system, that it maintains an atmosphere destruc- 

 tive to animal lite, one, in fact, which is usually recommended 

 to be kept up for a short time as an effectual means of extermi- 

 nation. 



