132 



gin at one end of the row, put the sticks firmly in the ground, and slant 

 those on one side slightly in the same direction in a line with the row,, 

 and if those on the other side of the peas are equally slanted in an 

 opposite direction a kind of lattice work will be formed and will be a 

 good support for the plants. 



If the weather be hot and dry, a thick layer of litter spread 

 between the rows will be advantageous, by keeping the ground moist 

 and comparatively cool. 



Quantity of seed. For a row of one chain in length If pints of 

 seed are required, making allowance for a proportion that either doe* 

 not come up at all, or so weakly as to be of no count. 



Varieties. The varieties of the Pea are so numerous that a mere list 

 of the names would occupy several pages. From experiments carried 

 out at the Hill Grarden, for productiveness, the following can be recom- 

 mended : — Carter's Balmoral Castlt, Carter's Princess Royal, Laxton's 

 Alpha, Dukt of Albany, Laxton's Prolific, Kentish Invicta, Abundance? 

 Carter's Telephone, Carter's Telegraph, Ne Plus Ultra, Henderson's 

 First of all, Horsfo) d's Market Garden, Landreth's Fr ench Canner, 



Prices of seed. English, 9d. to 2/6 per quart ; American, 25 to 80 

 cents per quart, according to variety 



Cucumbers. 



Plant seeds once a month, or once a fortnight from beginning 

 of September to February, to have Cucumbers from end of November 

 till May. Messrs. Landreth & Sons state that Fresh Southern 

 Cucumbers appear in Philadelphia the last of November and command 

 $1 to per dozen. Towards Christmas the price rises to %2.50 per 

 dozen after which the price declines to or $5 per box of eighty-five to 

 ninety fruit. By last of May the price goes down to $1 per dozen, after 

 which shipments fire unprofitable. 



The American method of cultivation is to plant in hills about 4 feet 

 apart each way, in rich sandy soil. The hills are previously prepared 

 by thoroughly mixing with the soil of each a good shovelful of well 

 rotted manure. The seeds are planted in the hill, and three or four 

 strong plants allowed to each. When the fruit is in fit condition it is 

 gathered whether required for use or not, as if allowed to ripen it 

 destroys the productiveness of the plants. The plants should always 

 have plenty of moisture regularly supplied during growth. 



In one or two counties in England, the soil and climate of which 

 seem unusually well adapted to the growth of cucumbers, large 

 quantities are grown in the open air for the London markets ; from 

 such sources there are said to be sent not less than 600 tons a week 

 during the cucumber season, and of these 100 tons have been known to 

 be sent to Convent Garden in a single day. The seed is sown where the 

 plants are intended to grow, two feet apart in the rows, and the rows 

 four feet asunder. They soon push into active growth and cover the 

 ground with vines, which spread in all directions, and come into bear- 

 ing. During their growth weeding and thinning their superfluous 

 shoots are well attended to, and in the fruiting season, fruit from 10 to 

 12 inches in length green and solid though sometimes unshapely, is 

 continually being cut. 



Seed required, — One ounce of seed will plant 50 hills. The seeds 

 should be soaked in luke-warm water for a few hours before planting,. 



