82 



CUCUMBER. 



mand, to liave young crops constantly in succession. Allot 

 some warm situation for early spring sowing ; and, if the 

 weather be cold, either put on a spare frame, or cover with 

 matting between sunset and sunrise. For autumnal sow- 

 ings, when cold weather is approaching, allot some warm 

 borders, and give occasional protection. The cress," 

 says Loudon, is often raised on porous earthen ware ves- 

 sels, of a conical form, having small gutters on the sides for 

 retaining the seeds. These are called pyramids^ are some- 

 what ornamental in winter, and afford repeated gatherings." 



Process in sowing^ and subsequent culture. — " Having 

 allotted a fine, mellow soil, to receive the seed, dig the sur- 

 face, and rake it finally, preparatory to sowing, which mostly 

 perform in small, flat, shallow drills, four, &re, or six inches 

 asunder. Sow the seed very thickly, and earth over very 

 lightly, or but just thinly cover. Give occasional waterings 

 in warm, dry seasons." 



Taking the crop. — " To gather cress in perfection, cut 

 them while moderately young, either clean to the root, or 

 only the tops of advanced plants. They will shoot again 

 for future gathering, but the leaves will be hotter, and not 

 so mild and tender as those of younger plants." 



To save seed. — " Either sow a portion in the spring for 

 that purpose, or leave some rows of any overgrown old crop 

 in April or May. The plants will yield seed in autumn." 



CUCUMBER. — Cucumis sativa. — Among the varieties of 

 this species of plants, are, 



Early Green cluster^ Long- prickly, I 



Early frame, White spined, ' I 



Long g-reen Turkey, Short prickly, : 



Long- white Turkey, Small girkin", or West India. 



Soil. — In our climate, cucumbers will grow in any soil, 

 though not with the same degree of vigour, provided they 

 be supplied with a sufficiency of heat, light, water, and air. 

 It is an object with many market gardeners and others, to 

 produce cucumbers at an early period, and for this purpose 

 artificial heat is necessary. For early forcing, Abercrombie 

 recommends a mould or compost, of the following materials : 

 " one third of rich top spit earth, from an upland pasture, 

 one half of vegetable mould, and one sixth of well decom- 

 posed horse-dung, with a small quantity of sand. 



Time of beginning to force. — Abercrombie says, " Mana- 

 gers, who have to provide against demands for early cucum- 

 bers, must raise seedlings from twelve to ten weeks before 



