854 
approach too nearly the ripening period 
when the surface skin begins to turn 
yellow. 
Certain vines may be selected to pro- 
duce seed, in which case they should not 
be disturbed by the picking process, ex- 
cept to train the vine to produce the larg- 
est and best specimens. As soon as the 
seed is ripened the plants begin to die. 
Varieties 
If cucumbers are planted for pickles, 
the varieties producing the largest num- 
ber of small fruits, rather than a few 
large ones is preferable. For this pur- 
pose the variety known as the Boston 
Pickling is highly recommended. For 
general home use the White Spine is 
good. Other varieties are the Cumber- 
land, Thorburn and Fordhook Pickling. 
GRANVILLE LOWTHER 
Cucumbers in the South 
W. P. WILLIAMS 
Cucumbers can be made a very profit- 
able crop in all sections where they can 
be raised early, and shipped to North- 
ern markets. 
After the land has been prepared, the 
best way to fit it for the crop is to plow 
out furrows with a single shovel cultiva- 
tor, or a bull tongue, and in this furrow 
put the fertilizer, and with a narrow cul- 
tivator thoroughly mix this with the 
soil. Then with a sweep or cultivator, 
level the soil into this furrow, and then 
drill in the seed. 
The rows are made five or six feet 
apart, and after the plants are up, they 
are thinned to about one foot in a row. 
The seed are sown in the southern part 
of the Gulf states from March Ist to the 
15th, some risk being taken at this time 
as there are occasional killing frosts this 
late. Providing the crop is not injured 
by frost, a few days gain on the market 
makes a considerable addition to the 
profits obtained. 
Cultivation is given the cucumber sim- 
ilar to that of other crops. Frequent but 
shallow cultivation is practiced, care be- 
ing taken not to disturb the vines more 
than necessary. The soil is ridged 
slightly to the row so as to allow sur- 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
face water to run off quickly. Cucum- 
bers require a quick steady growth and 
thus the land must be sandy so as to 
give the best action for fertilizers. 
The best fertilizer found in this sec- 
tion consists of 7-4-8 goods, using about 
700 to 1,000 pounds per acre, and made 
up as follows: 
Ibs 
Acid Phosphate, 16 per cent ......-... 395 
Cotton Seed Meal 2... cecceseneccvtece 286 
Nitrate of Soda.........0ccev nen ceneee 125 
Muriate of Potash .....eccenenneconces 194 
1,000 
The nitrogen should be obtained from 
some compound where it is easily avail- 
able, as in dried blood. The above for- 
mula is put under the plant, and when 
the latter has developed the fourth leaf 
a top dressing of about 75 Ibs. of nitrate 
of soda is given, and about the time the 
blossoms fall, another dressing of 75 Ibs. 
is applied. 
The cucumbers are picked when about 
eight inches long, and packed in hampers 
or crates. The harvesting in this sec- 
tion begins about June ist to the 15th, 
varying a little with the season. The 
hampers or crates are put in refrigera- 
tor cars, there being about 300 to 500 
per car. These cars are shipped to vari- 
ous northern markets, as Chicago, Cin- 
cinnati, St. Louis and Detroit. 
The varieties most commonly grown 
are Davis Perfect, Long Green and Klon- 
dike. The market requires a long slen- 
der cucumber, with very small and few 
seeds, and the above varieties produce 
cucumbers of this description. 
Yields run from 250 to 400 hampers per 
acre, and prices from 40c to $1.00 per 
hamper. The outlook for this crop is 
very promising where a person has the 
right kind of soil, and sufficient coopera- 
tion among his neighbors that all may 
combine to ship in car load lots. A mar- 
ket must be made, and when a place has 
become known as a shipping point, buy- 
ers will visit that point. 
CUCUMBER DISEASES 
For Diseases of Cucumber other than 
those listed here, see Cantaloup, Squash 
and related plants. 
