CUCUMBER 22a 



marketing in the winter, the cucumbers are packed in salt or salt 

 brine when gathered. Growers generally use about seven pounds 

 of salt to a bushel of cucumbers. They may also be packed in dry 

 salt in layers, which has the effect of taking the water out of the 

 cucumbers, causing them to shrivel up and lie in their own 

 juice. When wanted for use they are freshened out in water, 

 which causes those that are shriveled to swell up plump; they 

 are then put in vinegar. Cucumber pickles are easily kept until 

 the following spring in this way, but when kep': later than spring 

 they get soft and are not so desirable. Cucumbers v/ill stand 1 

 great amount of dry weather w^ithout injury, if frequently cul- 

 tivated. 



Starting Cucumbers in cold frames and hotbeds and then 

 transplanting them to the open ground when all danger of frost 



Figure 116— Chicag-c Pickling- Cucumber. 



is over is a common practice where they are wanted for early 

 use. Under this system the seed is sovm in old strawberry boxes 

 tomato cans, flower pots, etc. Square pieces of inverted sod are 

 also used for the same purpose, four or five seeds being sown on 

 each piece five inches rquare and covered with good soil The 

 plants in this latter case root into the sod and are easily moved. 

 Starting cucumbers this way has the merit of advancing the 

 period of maturity of the plants, and as they are well started 



