CUCUMBER 



267 



plants get well established in the 

 beds — say 65° by night and 70° by 

 day, allowing the glass to rise 10° 

 higher by sun-heat, with a bottom- 

 heat of 65° to 70°. After the plants 

 begin to root freely into the soil in 

 the bed, air should be admitted in the 

 morning on every favourable oppor- 

 tunity, closing early in the afternoon 

 in order to secure all the sun-heat 

 possible. No more fire-heat than is 

 absolutely necessary to keep up the 

 required temperature should be used, 

 inasmuch as all plants thrive much 

 better under the influence of solar 

 than of artificial heat. The sub- 

 sequent treatment consists of train- 

 ing the leaders of the plants up the 

 wires and stopping them when they 

 reach the top. This will cause 

 them to send out side-shoots all the 

 way up the stem, which shoots 

 should also be stopped at the second 

 or third joint; these shoots always 

 show fruit, but only one or two 

 should be left on each plant at first, 

 and more as the plants get older 

 and stronger. The stopping of the 

 shoots must be continued at every 

 second or third joint from the last 

 pinch, and also thinned out when 

 needful. Crowding of the wood 

 and foliage should always be 

 avoided. , The object of planting 

 2 ft. apart at first is only to secure 

 a good crop of Cucumbers early by 

 taking one or two fruits off each 

 plant as soon as possible ; but this 

 space is too little ultimately for each 

 plant, and when it becomes neces- 

 sary, every alternate plant may be 

 removed to give the others more 

 room. Watering must be attended 

 to regularly. The bed should be 

 kept moist, and when water is given 

 it should be a thorough soaking till 

 it runs out at the bottom of the 

 bed, and should always be of the 

 same temperature as that of the soil. 

 Syringing in the morning and after- 



noon must also be attended to, 

 and more or less air should be ad- 

 mitted according to the state of the 

 weather. The roots should be top- 

 dressed every two or three weeks 

 with a little fresh soil. If these 

 simple directions be carried out, a 

 supply of Cucumbers during the 

 winter and spring will not be found 

 a difficult matter. The Cucumber 

 is an easy plant to grow ; unlike the 

 Melon, the fruit is not wanted ripe, 

 but only when half swelled ; and 

 the way to obtain it is to keep the 

 plants in a healthy growing state. 



Cucumbers in Pits and Frames. 

 — Where hot-water pits are employed 

 for growing winter Cucumbers, it is 

 a good plan to apply a thick lining 

 of fermenting material round the 

 pit ; also a covering of mats or other 

 warm material over the glass during 

 the night ; by these means less fire- 

 heat will be required, and the plants 

 consequently kept in a healthier con- 

 dition. To train Cucumbers, pieces 

 of wire trellis-work should be fitted 

 in each light about i ft. from the 

 glass, the bed containing the plants 

 being about 8 or 9 in. below this, 

 which will afford greater facility for 

 applying top-dressing; whereas if 

 the ordinary mode of pegging down 

 be adopted, top-dressing cannot be 

 given without injury to the foliage. 

 The greatest objection to pits for 

 winter Cucumbers is the incon= 

 venience of attending to the plants 

 in severe weather ; and plants are 

 frequently allowed to run wild and 

 get dry at the roots, in consequence 

 of not being able to take off" the 

 lights when there is a continuance 

 of frosty weather. Where there is 

 no other convenience for growing 

 Cucumbers in winter, a few plants 

 may be put into large pots and 

 placed in the corners of a warm 

 house, such as a Pine or plant stove. 

 The pots should be well drained and 



