! 



THE CUCUMBER. 



357' 



j lings, and their subsequent irying by artificial heat, 

 so highly refreshing, are accorded, and to their last- 

 ing benefit. 



The drying tendency which the pipes have in the 

 sunken chamber below the roots must not, however, 

 be overlooked, and root waterings of a free and 

 copious natm-e must be given periodically to insure 

 that proper moistui'e exists. In connection with 

 these a little additional heat may always be given ad- 

 vantageously. Xor should the fact be overlooked that 

 over-head syringings at proper seasons may also be 

 far more copious. Indeed, they must be, as a 

 counter-tendency to the di'^-ness of the artificially- 

 heated atmosphere. 



AVhen Cucumber plants grow and fruit freely, 

 periodical attention is requisite in regard to ^Jruning 

 and stopping. So soon as the shoots start strongly 

 into growth, in whatever position, pinch off their 

 points : the result will be that sundry young lateral 

 or side shoots will form. It is at the axils of the 

 first or second leaf upon these laterals that the 

 female flower, or fruit-bearer, will be formed. Early 

 in the season it is an old practice to procure a 

 matured male flower ; remove the outer petals when 

 dry, and insert it just within the fully-expanded 

 female flower, the latter being always conspicuous 

 by having the miniature Cucumber form for a foot- 

 stalk. The practice is, however, seldom now adopted, 

 imless in the cultiu"e of sorts for seeds. 



So soon as the young Cucumbers are seen upon the 

 lateral shoots, pinch off their points also at one leaf 

 beyond them. Eventually, whether frame or house- 

 grown, the plants will have grown so freely as to 

 require periodically thinning out. All old leaves 

 should be removed so soon as they show symptoms 

 of decaying, unless a fruit be at the axil of any, 

 when it is not desirable to do so — bearing this fact 

 in mind also at such times as leaves become too 

 numerous and densely grown together, when thin- 

 ning them out will be often necessary. Remove at 

 such time any aged long portions of the vines having 

 no fruits attached, and try to induce relays of young 

 shoots from as near to the base of the plants as 

 possible. When plants have been in bearing some 

 time, and immediately after such a pruning, it will 

 be a great aid to them to give the soil within the 

 frame a thin mulching with rich compost. An 

 occasional top-dressing with dung or some of the 

 many artificial manures, with a good manurial water- 

 ing, will also prove advantageous. These are es- 

 pecially useful to such structures as are kept rather 

 too dr^' for Cucumbers, for the sake of other plants. 



A very important consideration connected with the 

 bearing plants, and one not generally attended to 

 as it should be, is that of removing from the plants 

 all young Cucumbers so soon as they attain to full 



size. To permit them to remain upon the ^dnes after 

 this stage has been reached is to doubly tax the 

 plants, whilst the quality of the produce is also 

 materially lowered. The fruits keep admirably in 

 water, especially if a smaU portion of the stalk end 

 be removed occasionally. 



The insects which infest Cucumbers comprise red 

 spider, thrips, and aphis. Insufficiency of moisture 

 often gives birth to the two former. Everv en- 

 deavour should be made to resuscitate health in view 

 of throwing them off ; dusting with flowers of sul- 

 phur for the former, and fumigating for the two 

 last, being efficacious. 



Mildew, a parasitical growth, sometimes infests 

 the leaf surface during the winter months even in 

 structures heated by artificial means, and occiu's at 

 times in connection with frame culture dming 

 cloudy weather in summer. An excess of atmos- 

 pheric moisture, with too little warmth, is the cause, 

 and simply but slightly dusting all infected parts 

 over with flowers of srdphur the remedy. 



Culture of the Cucumber in the Open 



Air. — Outdoor or field culture is somewhat exten- 

 sively followed by market-garden farmers, being the 

 practice followed to produce the masses of inferior 

 produce, Gherkins, ifcc, which are so prominent a 

 feature in autumnul town markets. 



The plan employed is to deeply and well work and 

 manure the ground. Subsequently, very early in the 

 year, single but thick rows of rye are sown across the 

 space whereon field Cucumbers are to be grown, at 

 distances of about twelve feet apart. These eventu- 

 ally grow up so as to screen the young plants from 

 the cold, being sown as a rule from north to south- 

 ward. About the first week in the month of May 

 the soil is again freshly worked up, and during fine 

 weather the seeds are sown in about three rows, at 

 about six or eight inches asunder in the rows, between 

 each two rows of rye. "When the yoimg plants push 

 through the ground they are carefully hoed amongst, 

 similar attention being given as requii-ed throughoiu 

 the summer ; the only other attention they require 

 being the leading of main shoots into vacant spaces 

 around, and removing the fruit when of proper 

 size. 



Ridge Cucumbers consist of intermediate forms, 

 obtained by intercrossing tender frame varieties 

 and the hardy form of Gherkin. They comprise a 

 class which can be cultivated by all who do not 

 possess glass structures, pits, or frames. 



The ridge, or mound, is formed by first placing 

 fermenting materials enough together in a long 

 narrow heap so as to give a moderate quantity of 

 heat ; the most convenient and best plan being to 

 take out a portion of the soil in any given space 



