708 



THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



FORCING CUCUMBERS AND MELONS. 



Cucumbers and melons should now be kept in a growing 

 state, and plentifully supplied with heat, air, and water. Ex- 

 amine the heat in the beds frequently, and as it begins to 

 decline, let it be renewed by the application of fresh linings, 

 or by renewing such linings as may have been already applied. 

 Air should be freely admitted every day, in a greater or less 

 degiee, accordingly as the weather is favorable or unfavorable, 

 by tilting up the sashes, or by drawing them up or down a few 

 inches, giving and reducing it by degrees, as the state of the 

 weather may direct ; taking care to shut them up in the after- 

 noon before they become too cool, and that they may regain 

 a few degrees of heat to keep them sufficiently warm during 

 the night, llie mercury shoidd not be allowed to rise in the 

 thermometer during sunshine above 70° or 72°, but air should 

 be admitted to keep it at or near those points ; and by shut- 

 ting up at an early period in the afternoon, this temperature 

 will be kept up for a considerable length of time. Water 

 should be applied liberally from the rose of the water-pot 

 every two or three days, generally watering in the afternoon 

 about three or four o'clock, but in dull cloudy weather it may 

 be applied earlier; care, however, must be taken that it is 

 not applied when the sun is powerful, as the leaves would be 

 scorched by his rays acting upon the particles of water upon 

 them. It will still be necessary to have the chill taken off the 

 water before it is applied to them. 



At this season, cucumber-plants are sometimes infested with 

 the green fly, and also with that much more troublesome enemy 

 the thrips ; if either of these make their appearance, recourse 

 must be had to funiigation, which will soon rid them of both 

 these troublesome enemies. From the mode of cultivation, the 

 red spider seldom invades them, as it is only in dry warm at- 

 mospheres that that insect exists, and which are extremely 

 unfavorable to the growth of the cucumber. A mild humid 

 licat is that in which they are found to prosper best, and in 

 such the red spider seldom makes its appearance. As the 

 plants extend their shoots, the mould should also be extended, 

 and should now be made good all over the beds ; the vines 



