338 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



444. Diseases. — ^Among the diseases of cucumbers, 

 downy mildew, leaf blight and anthracnose are the most 

 important. Bordeaux mixture is the chief fungicide 

 used in combating the diseases of cucumbers. Applica- 

 tions should begin when the plants start to vine and be 

 repeated at intervals of 10 days or less at critical times. 

 Figure 82 shows an effective three-row sprayer. 



DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale) 



445. Importance. — ^The wild dandelion is frequently 

 used as greens, but the leaves are much inferior to those 

 of cultivated varieties, which are larger and often cut or 

 frilled. The most common use of the leaves is for greens, 

 although when blanched with soil they are valuable for 

 salads. The frilled forms make attractive garnishes. The 

 plants are grown in many private gardens and some com- 

 mercial growers have found small areas very profitable. 



446. Culture. — A deep, rich soil is required to grow 

 large leaves. It should be prepared as soon as possible 

 in the spring and the seed sown at once in shallow drills 

 a foot or more apart, depending upon the method of cul- 

 tivation. The plants should be thinned to at least 6 

 inches in the row, and more space is favorable to large 

 leaves. Several cuttings may be made, but the first is 

 always the finest. Some growers plow and start some 

 other crop after harvesting one lot of leaves. The plants 

 are often held over winter, when very early cuttings may 

 be made the following spring. Top dressings of nitrate 

 of soda are valuable for this crop, 



DILL (Anethum graveolens) 



447. Culture. — Dill is one of the many herbs used for 

 flavoring. The seed is especially popular in the flavoring 

 of pickles. It should be sown thinly, about ^ inch deep, 



