84 FACTS AND FIGURES OR THE 



beds eight feet wide ; if iiut, plant on the level. If you 

 prefer to use hills, do not make them very high. In plant- 

 ing cukes, whether on new land or old, or if following 

 another crop, aways give the field an application of Cana- 

 dian hardwood ashes broadcasted and harrowed in, using 

 about 1,000 pounds to the acre. In about a week's time, 

 apply the cucumber special fertilizer. If you are planting on 

 beds, apply the fertilizer in rows where you expect to plant 

 the seed. If in hills, work the fertilizer in with the soil, as 

 the hill is being made up, using about 2 pounds to the 

 hill. Use any good make of cucumber special fertilizer, 

 that will analyze about as follows : Nitrogen, 6% ; available 

 phosphoric acid, yVc ; and potash, 8%. 



PLANTING. 



If planting on beds, make the rows four feet apart and 

 plant the seed three feet apart in the rows. If in drills, make 

 them three by four feet. You will note that I plant cucum- 

 bers closer than the majority of truckers. My reason for 

 this is that you do not get many pickings off a cucumber 

 vine in this State before it is apt to become affected with- 

 either blight or mildew and then stops bearing, that is why 

 I prefer to get more vines to the acre, and be contented 

 with fewer pickings. Plant about eight seeds to a hill, as 

 they rot very badly if the weather is not just to their liking. 

 If you should have too many plants, it is much easier and 

 better to thin them out than to replant; for a replanted 

 patch will start bearing at different times, making it hard 

 to get shipments. A good idea is to make three plantings, 

 making the first one the distance given above ; the second, 

 which should be about fifteen days later, in the same row, 

 half way between the first plantings ; the third planting ten 

 to fifteen days later, in the same row between the first and 

 second plantings. In this way you have three distinct 



