SECT. XIV. OF RAISING CUCUMBERS- IBS 



plants being about five weeks old, will be read y fo 

 putting into a new bed to bear fruit. 



Stopping the plants is to be performed about a week 

 before they leave the feed bed; i.e. as foon as the fe- 

 cond rough leaf is expanded, and fhews in its bofom 

 the little bud, or eye, that produces a runner. This is 

 to be nicely cut off with a pen-knife, or fmall fharp 

 pointed fciifars, or picked out with a needle, though, if 

 it gets forward, it may be pinched off. Soon after this 

 operation, the plant thickens, and will pufh for runners 

 again, which the Hopping is defigried to difpofe them 

 to ; and the effecl is an earlier and more plentiful bear- 

 ing. The practice of flopping is again to be performed 

 upon the firit runners when they have three joints with- 

 out mewing fruit. 



The fruit bed comes now, and it fhould be made of 

 good materials, duly prepared, and well put together, 

 towards four feet thick. It ought not to be of a fize 

 lefs than for a two-light, but better for a three-light 

 frame ; as the heat is more certainly to be kept up a 

 proper length of time, in a full fized frame, without 

 which all the previous labour is loft. Preparations 

 mult be made for this bsd at haft a fortnight before it is 

 wanted, in the way direcled in the la ft fection. 



Before earthing, take care that the burning heat is 

 over, and that the mould to be ufed be properly dry. 

 Lay it all over the bed not more than three inches thick, 

 (for reafons given, page 130) making hills where the 

 plants are to be fet about twelve or fourteen inches 

 depth. A two-light bed (of proper materials) will 

 aot be ready for moulding in lefs than a week or ten 

 days from making ; nor a three-light in lefs than ten 

 days or a fortnight. But if it fhould be de fired to plant 

 out quick, on account of the feed bed having got cold, 

 a fecurity from burning the plants is found in forming 

 a hole in the bed, where the plants are to be, two inches 

 deep, and about a foot, or fifteen inches over, and filling 

 up with freih coiv dung ; through this the heat will not 



