THE GROWING OF THE VEGETABLE PLANTS 459 



being varied slightly, according to location and variety. Good 

 cucumbers are sometimes grown in hills surrounding a barrel 

 in which manure is placed to be leached out by successive water- 

 ings. 



The omnipresent enemies of all the cucurbitaceous crops are 

 the little cucumber beetle and the large black ''stink bug." 

 Ashes, lime, or tobacco dust occasionally seem to show some 

 efficiency in preventing the ravages of these insects, but the only 

 reasonably sure immunity is in the use of covers over the hills 

 (Fig. 229) and in hand-picking (p. 202). Covers may also 

 be made by stretching mosquito netting over arcs of barrel 

 hoops or bent wires. If by some such means the plants are 

 kept insect-free till they outgrow the protection, they will 

 usually escape serious damage from insects thereafter. It is 

 well to plant trap or decoy hills of cucumbers, squashes, or 

 melons in advance of the regular planting, on which the bugs 

 may be harvested. 



Leguminous crops — Peas and beans. 



Two cultural groups are included in the legumes, — the bean 

 group (including all field, garden, and kidney beans, and the 

 cowpea) comprising warm-weather plants; the pea group 

 (including field and garden pea, the Windsor or Broad bean) 

 comprising cool-weather plants. The former are quickly sus- 

 ceptible to frost and should be planted only after the weather is 

 settled. The latter are among the earliest vegetables to be 

 planted. The leguminous crops are not transplanted, the seed 

 being placed where the plants are to grow. 



Salad plants and pot-herbs (''greens"). 



These plants are all grown for their tender, fresh, succulent 

 leaves, and therefore every reasonable effort should be made to 

 secure quick and continuous fohage growth. It is manifestly 

 expedient that they be grown in warm, mellow ground, well 

 cultivated and copiously watered. Such small plants as cress, 



