By Richard Anthony Salisbury, Esq. 51 



into a heap to heat a fortnight before : lay the dung evenly 

 in the trench, treading each layer very firmly down with a 

 board under your feet, and reserving the smallest and shortest 

 for the last; upon this lay eighteen inches in depth of the 

 compost, sloping it well towards the south, not only for the 

 benefit of the sun, but to throw off violent rains. In a day or 

 two after, plant your roots at five inches distance from each 

 other, observing to place them alternately in the rows, and 

 that the crown or upper part of the tuber is only just covered 

 with earth. These should be the offsets of such as after flower- 

 ing the preceding year have been preserved from frost through 

 the winter in sand, as well as the strongest remaining upon 

 any fresh imported ones : till you obtain a sufficient stock 

 even the weakest may be planted, but as a great number are 

 annually produced by every root, in time those which are 

 large enough to flower the following year need only be se- 

 lected. Cover the bed at night, especially if frosty, with a 

 double mat, till the leaves appear, but give little or no water, 

 protecting it carefully from heavy rains. When the leaves are 

 about an inch long, add a little fresh compost to the surface, 

 filling up any inequalities, and removing all weeds. If the 

 season prove dry, it will now require watering, and towards 

 the end of June and in July when the leaves are in full vigour, 

 very copiously; but this must depend upon the weather. 

 From this period till the beginning of winter, nothing more is 

 necessary than to weed the bed, and protect it from the au- 

 tumnal rains : this may be done by sloping the ground more 

 up to it, or if you have a cucumber frame not in use, it may be 

 employed for this purpose, taking care to sink the front so low 

 as to admit all the sun possible. About the first week in 



