v.] 



CUCUMBER. 



93 



then put another mat over the straw, and fasten that mat securely 

 all over the frame, ^Yhich is best done by billets of wood about a 

 foot and a half long and three inches thick each wav, with a 

 tenter-hook at one end to hang it on to the mat. This is much 

 better than tacking the mats on to the frame by a hammer and 

 nails ; for this is a carpentering sort of work to be performed twice 

 a-day. If the weather be tolerably favourable, if it be not ex- 

 tremely untoward, and if you have taken the proper pains, the 

 plants will be lit to be put into pots in about four or five days from 

 the time of their coming up. The time for doing this, however, 

 is best pointed out by the state of the plants, which, as soon as 

 you see the rough leaf peeping up, are ready for pottmg. You then 

 get your pots about five inches deep, six inches over at the top, 

 and four inches over at the bottom, measuri g from outside to 

 outside. You put a small oyster-shell, the hollow part downwards, 

 over the hole at the bottom of the pot. You fill the pots about 

 three parts full of earth, heave the plants out of the ground with 

 your fingers, put two plants into each pot : holding the head of 

 each towards the rim, while you put in more earth with the other 

 hand to fill the pot up to the rim. Then take the pot, and gently 

 rap the bottom of it upon the edge of the frame three or four times, 

 which will settle down the earth sufficiently, and will leave the 

 earth about half an inch below the rim. You may then press the 

 root of each plant a little with the point of your finger, and put on 

 a little more earth to make all smooth. Observe, that the shanks of 

 the plants are to go so deeply down into the pot as to leave the 

 seed-leaves but a very little above the level of the earth in the pot. 

 The earth will come out of the heap to fill the pots \\ ith ; and a 

 very small part of it will suffice. You will now draw the earth 

 from the sides of the frame toward the middle of the bed, and, 

 having formed it into a broader heap than before, put the pots 

 down into the mould up to the rim, taking care that they stand 

 perfectly level, and taking care also the tops of the plants do 

 not stan.i too far from the glass ; for that would cause them to 

 be drawn up and be made v. eak. About six inches from the glass 

 is quite enough. I am supposing that your first cucumber-bed, 

 for the producing of fruit, is to have four lights. You will there- 

 fore want but four pots of plants, but it will be better to have 

 double the number ; the supernumeraries cost nothing, and they 

 may save a neighbour the trouble of making a seed-bed. In this 



