CHAPTER xX. 
MISCELLANEOUS CROPS. 
CUCUMBER.— (Cucumis sativus). 
The common cucumber is supposed to have been 
originally imported into Europe from the Levant as early as 
1573. Cucumis Melo is the common melon, supposed to be 
a native of Persia. Water melons are the fruits of Citrullus 
vulgaris, commonly cultivated in the east, and Mediterranean 
region of Africa and Europe, for the sake of its fleshy edible 
fruit. 
Cucumbers are easily grown either on ridges, in frames, 
or in hot-houses. Ridge cucumbers are a very profitable 
crop; Mr. F. Eccles, of Wyre, near Pershore, informs me 
that he has realised as much as £go per acre for them, and 
he puts their average value at £45 per acre in ordinarily 
favourable years. A variety called ‘‘ Stockwood” is one of 
the best for ridge culture. For this system the seed may be 
sown in small pots, at the end of April, in a warm frame or 
hot-bed, placing three or four seeds in each pot, and leaving 
only the two best plants that are produced. At the end of 
May the ridges or mounds (the latter is the method adopted 
in Worcestershire), may be prepared by simply excavating 
the soil about a foot deep, and placing in the hole or trench 
some warm manure. A hole two feet across is usually 
sufficient in a warm and sheltered district; in less 
favoured localities larger holes or broader trenches must be 
made, to hold more manure for the purpose of supplying more 
warmth to the roots. 
