CUCUMBER 325 
do as little pruning as possible, and that of a haphazard 
nature. The English growers have exercised great care 
in this operation and, in recent years, American growers 
have more fully realized the advantages of systematic 
training and pruning. The agricultural experiment sta- 
tions as well as many commercial growers have demon- 
strated the value of following a fairly well-defined plan. 
Unless the vine growth is limited by pruning, there is 
certain to be a large percentage of culls, and unless the 
plants are properly trimmed, there will be too much shad- 
ing and too little circulation of air. 
The labor item in keeping the plants well pruned is 
considerable, but if a promising market is expected, the 
expense of such labor is more than justifiable. Whatever 
the plan, the work should always be done with care and 
promptness. When the season is well advanced and the 
vines are becoming exhausted, and prices are materially 
lower, due to the outdoor crop, perhaps, too much time 
should not be spent in pruning. A leader here and there 
may be removed without much expenditure of time, and 
the results may be highly beneficial. 
Four fairly distinct systems of training are used by 
American growers, namely, the fan or English system, 
the arbor system, the A form and the upright. 
The fan system does not have many advocates in this 
country. It consists in growing a single stem to the 
height of about 18 inches, when the top is nipped, which 
induces the formation of a number of lateral branches, 
four or five of the strongest being selected to train over 
a wire trellis. In England the trellis generally runs 
parallel to the roof of the house, and if the house is nar- 
row, it will extend to the ridge. The branches run out 
fan-shaped from the main stem and then they proceed 
to the top of the trellis, where they are nipped. The 
laterals of these leaders are cut back more or less and the 
cucumbers hang below the trellis. A certain amount of 
