FORCING DEPARTMENT. 4 09 



MANAGEMENT OF THE CUCUMBER 

 PLANT. 



The cultivation of the Cucumber, at an early 

 period of the year, is attended with considerable risk 

 and difficulty, especially when grown on dung beds, 

 as the steam and moisture, arising from the dung, are 

 very liable to damp and injure the tender plants ; 

 particularly when the weather continues, for any 

 length of time, in such an unfavourable state as to 

 prevent a free circulation of air being admitted into 

 the frame. 



When this fruit is wanted at an early period, the 

 seed should be sown the latter end of November, or 

 beginning of December. 



Previous to sowing it there should be a one or two 

 light box or pit prepared, in thickness of not less 

 than four to five feet of well concocted dung, or 

 leaves and dung mixed ; these ingredients should be 

 two or three times turned together previous to using, 

 and allowed to ferment for about three weeks before 

 it is made up into a bed, which will then become 

 sweetened, and will retain the heat much longer than 

 if made up in a recent state. When the bed is com- 

 posed to the depth above specified, the lights should 

 be kept close shut up two or three days, to assist in 

 drawing up the heat, which will soon arise, when 

 plenty of air must be admitted, to allow the rank 

 3 G 



