320 VEGETABLE FORCING 
moisture may cause the wilting of the leaves or of the 
entire plant, with consequent reductions in the total yield 
as well as in the size and quality of the cucumbers. 
The plants are benefited by syringing with water, es- 
pecially during hot, sunny weather. This operation may 
be effected very quickly by producing a mist-like spray 
with the overhead system of irrigation. If there are 
reasons for not wetting the plants, the humidity may be 
increased by sprinkling the walks. A moist atmosphere 
is unquestionably of great importance in the forcing of 
this vegetable. 
As previously stated, the beds should be watered as 
soon as possible.after the plants are set out. This will 
cause the soil to settle about the balls of earth and roots 
from the pots, and thus help to exclude the air and to 
establish close relations between the moisture of the soil 
and the roots of the plants. 
Unless the spring season is well advanced when the 
plants are set, large amounts of water will not be needed 
until they are 4 or 5 feet high, but from that time on pro- 
fuse applications will be required to meet their needs. 
During the months of June and July it is practically im- 
possible to apply too much water. The overhead system 
of watering is extensively employed in the growing of 
greenhouse cucumbers. 
Cultivation.—It is desirable to cultivate the beds while 
the plants are small, but tillage after the soil is well filled 
with roots (and many of them are surface feeders) 
should not be advocated. Any damage to the roots, even 
by shallow tillage, is certain to impair the crop of 
cucumbers. 
Mulching.—The advantages of mulching in the forcing 
of tomatoes were fully discussed on page 286. It is 
possible that the practice is not quite so general in the 
culture of cucumbers under glass, though a large per- 
centage of the growers use mulches of some kind. Asa 
