Feb.] 



THE FORCING GARDEN. 



G71 



should be kept for the appearance of the red spider upon tlie 

 leaves, which should be expelled by force of the syringe, or 

 else by sprinkling sulphur mixed with water upon the flues, 

 when pretty warm, as directed last month ; however, if the 

 plants be kept regularly watered, and the house ventilated, 

 this enemy will not be seen ; a too dry and very high tem- 

 perature is the agent that brings it into life, and water applied 

 with considerable force from the syi'inge, or the application of 

 sulphur, as above described, are probably the only means of 

 getting rid of it: 



FORCING CUCUMBERS AND MELONS. 



If the instructions given last month under this head have 

 been acted upon, and no accident has occurred to the plants, 

 they will, by the end of the first week or beginning of the 

 second, be fit, most probably, for planting out into the beds, in 

 which they are to perfect their fruit ; however, if the plants 

 be weak, which will chiefly be owing to either loo litde heat, 

 or drawn up slender and long-stemmed, owing to an excess 

 of heat and insufficiency of air, in either case they should not 

 be finally transplanted out until they be quite strong and 

 stocky. 



If such in either case be their state, it is better to defer 

 their final transplanting until they be perfectly strong enough, 

 which, with good management, will be by the end of the month 

 at farthest. If planted out before they acquire sufficient 

 strength, their future progress will be slow, and their crop 

 unproductive. It often happens, from unforeseen circum- 

 stances, that the seeds sown some days, or even a week after 

 the first sowing, will be in a fit state for ridginfr out before 

 those first sown ; in such cases, plants of that age should be 

 made choice of. Throughout the whole culture of these fruits, 

 the plants most rapidly grown are always the best, and will 

 produce the finest fruit, and also in the greatest quantity. 

 Beds for their reception, after they are removed from the seed- 

 bed, should be preparing for them without delay. By the 

 beginning of the month, the dung of which they are formed 

 should be got in readiness; that is, it should be didy pre- 



