1156 



PBAGTIGAL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS cucumbbb 



from seed in this way generally come into 

 a fruitful condition rather too late in the 

 season, and may be destroyed by early 

 frosts before they have produced a suffi- 

 cient number of fruits to pay for the 

 trouble of growing them. But a small 

 hotbed of fresh horse-dung and leaves 

 covered with a few inches of soil may be 

 used for sowing the seeds out of doors 

 under handlights, which may be removed 

 altogether as soon as the weather permits. 



Soil. — The soil for Marrows can 

 scarcely be too rich. It should be 

 thoroughly drained, yet never lacking in 

 moisture. Any waste part of the garden, 

 so long as it is well exposed to sun and 

 sheltered from the east and north winds, 

 will suit Marrows. Three plants may be 

 placed about a foot apart on a mound of 

 rich soil composed of loam, leaf soil, and 

 well-rotted manure. The main shoots are 

 turned so as to run in three different 

 directions. After running some distance 

 they may have the tops pinched out. 

 This will induce side shoots to spring from 

 the axils of the leaves. When the side 

 shoots have grown 2 or 3 ft. long, they 

 may also have the points pinched out so 

 as to develop side growths on them in the 

 same way. The plants may then be left 

 to ramble about for themselves, and only 

 require to have the leading shoots so 

 arranged that they run in different 

 directions, without becoming entangled. 



I have seen excellent Marrows pro- 

 duced by allowing the shoots to ramble 

 over an old hedge, like Bryony (see p. 461), 

 and the leaves on the plants have been 

 quite uninjured by early frosts, while those 

 on the more or less level surface were 

 completely shrivelled and destroyed. 



Mulching and Watering. — After plant- 

 ing, and once or twice during the season, 

 it will pay for the trouble to place a good 

 mulching of well-rotted manure or leaf 

 soil round the roots of the plants. When 

 the bed or little mound on which they are 

 placed is made, a hollow may be left in 

 the centre so that it will hold a good 

 supply of water and rain. Drought is one 

 of the great causes of failure in Marrow 

 growing, and when the plants are making 

 rampant growths they can hardly receive 

 too much water or liquid manure. Their 

 large leaves throw off immense quantities 

 of water in the shape of vapour on hot 

 summer days, and to enable them to do 

 this the roots must be kept well supplied. 



The Marrow is a monoecious plant. 



that is, its pistil-bearing flowers and its 

 stamen-bearing flowers are quite distinct 

 from each other although borne on the 

 same plant. The pistillate flowers are 

 the only ones which produce fruits. The 

 latter are usually fit for cooking when the 

 withered flower drops from the end, and 

 before they become full grown with a 

 hard, tough, and leathery rind. 



Mildew sometimes attacks the foliage 

 in unfavourable seasons, but may be kept 

 in check by dusting the leaves when damp 

 with flowers of sulphur or Uver of sulphur. 

 Aphis and other insects are destroyed and 

 kept at bay by spraying with soapy water 

 in the evening. The leaves should never 

 be wetted during hot sunshine. 



BusTi Marrows, as the name indicates, 

 are much more bushy in habit than the 

 trailing varieties. They are taller and 

 more sturdy in growth, but require ex- 

 actly the same treatment. If anything, 

 however, they like much more moisture 

 at the root than even the trailing varieties, 

 and they enjoy frequent waterings with 

 liquid manure during the summer months. 



Varieties. — -The best known Marrows 

 are the La/rge White or Creami; the Lwrge 

 Green; Oreen Striped; Hibberd' s Prolific ; 

 Moore's Vegetable Cream ; Pen-y-byd, a 

 round Marrow vrtth an excellent flavour ; 

 Custard ; Muir's Hybrid ; and the Busli 

 or Cluster. 



Gourds. — As these belong to the same 

 genus as the Marrow, and require pre- 

 cisely the same cultural treatment, it is 

 unnecessary to say more about them here, 

 more particularly as they have already 

 been referred at p. 460 as ornamental 

 plants for the flower garden when grown 

 on poles, trellises &c. 



CUCUMBER (CucuMis sativus).— 

 The Cucumber is a native of the East 

 Indies and a first cousin to the Marrow, 

 but is not so rank in growth, the stems 

 being more slender, and the leaves and 

 flowers smaller. Thousands of plants 

 are grown under glass annually,' and the 

 fruits of some excellent varieties such as 

 SolUson's Telegraph, Tender and True, 

 Lockie's Perfection &c. are in great 

 demand. 



Culture amd Propagation. — Although 

 scarcely within the scope of a work 

 devoted to the cultivation of hardy plants, 

 the Cucumber is such a universal 

 favourite, and may be so easily grown 

 with the help of a hotbed and glass 



