ON VEGETABLE CULTURE. 1061 



been raised the quarters should be dressed with gas-lime, left for 

 a time, and then forked in. Celery badly attacked practically 

 rots away. 



Chicory. 



In many gardens Chicory is much appreciated as a salading 

 during the winter months, especially if quickly and properly 

 grown. The seed should be sown at the end of May or in 

 June, in drills ift apart, in a sunny, open position. When the 

 seedlings are large enough to handle, they should be thinned 

 out to 8in. apart in the rows, and afterwards kept free from 

 weeds with a Dutch hoe. At the end of October or early in 

 November, the roots may be taken up carefully and stored in 

 soil in sheds or in the open ground, protecting from frost with 

 litter. By placing a quantity of the roots in a Mushroom-house 

 or other dark, warm structure at intervals of three weeks, a 

 daily supply of tender and beautifully-blanched leaves for salad 

 may be picked. 



Cucumbers. 



The heaviest crops and most beautiful Cucumbers are pro- 

 duced on 'plants in pits or houses, where they can be trained 

 on a trellis fixed about ift. from the glass. Seed may 

 be sown in January or February in pots or pans, with a nice 

 gentle bottom-heat and a top temperature of 7odeg. or there- 

 abouts, which should not be allowed to fall below 6odeg. at 

 night. When the seedlings begin to form the first rough leaf 

 they should be transferred singly into thumb-pots, using two- 

 thirds of fibrous loam and one-third of leaf-mould as a compost. 

 In a fortnight or so the plants will be ready to transfer to 

 mounds of loam, 3ft. apart, with a little leaf-mould or spent, 

 horse-droppings added. A stake reaching to the trellis should 

 be fixed to each plant, which should be tied loosely thereto. 

 Cucumbers rejoice in a good moist heat, and if the thermometer 

 runs up to oodeg. or more by the help of sun-heat, with plenty 

 of moisture in the atmosphere, the plants will enjoy it and grow 

 rapidly. When the roots appear through the mound, a very light 

 mulch of soil should be given — just enough to cover all the roots — 

 repeating this weekly, and also giving frequent applications of 

 diluted liquid manure. By this means the strength of the 

 plant will be maintained, and continuous supplies of fine tender 

 Cucumbers forthcoming. 



The training of the plant is a simple matter, merely stopping 

 the shoots one leaf beyond the fruits, and pinching out any 

 useless growth, also the weekly removal of any exhausted shoots, 

 taking care never to cut out much growth and foliage at once. 

 If the plants are looked over twice a week no check is given, 

 but if left for two or three weeks, and then severely pruned to 



