1882.] 



83 



GROWING PICKLES. 



Without entering on the discussion of the 

 sanitary view of the Cucumber question, it 

 seems evident that people will have Cucum- 

 bers, for the pickle crop of the State of 

 New York alone amounts annually to about 

 200,000,000, more than half of which are 

 grown on Long Island and in Westchester 

 County. 



Those who make pickle-growing a regular 

 part of their crop rotations— -and there are 

 thousands of farmers who derive their prin- 

 cipal income from this source— rarely plant 

 their seed before the middle of June and not 

 later than the fourth of July, preferably be- 

 tween the twentieth and twenty-fifth of J une. 

 Planted at this time, the vines come into 

 bearing in August and September, deriving 

 the benefit of the cooler and damper nights 

 of late summer — important elements to their 

 productiveness. Moreover, the season of the 

 "striped bug," that deadliest enemy of the 

 whole Cucumber and Melon family, is then 

 already past, so that there is no danger to 

 be feared from its depre- 

 dations. 



The Cucumber requires 

 a great deal of moisture 

 during its growth, there- 

 fore a naturally moist, yet 

 not too heavy, soil is most 

 favorable. A drained 

 swamp - meadow with 

 mucky top-soil is, other 

 conditions being equal, 

 most desirable for pickles. 



The growth and bear- 

 ing season of the Cucum- 

 ber plant is completed in 

 so short a time — not over 

 ten weeks from the sow- 

 ing of the seed to the last 

 picking — that it is of 

 great importance to pro- 

 vide all conditions favor- 

 able to a vigorous and 

 uninterrupted growth. 

 It is hopeless to expect 

 a profitable crop from 

 ground that is not thor- 

 oughly plowed and mel- 

 lowed. The generally pur- 

 sued plan of planting is, 

 after the last harrowing, to furrow the ground 

 five feet apart each way. At every crossing 

 of these furrows a shovelful of fine, decom- 

 posed yard-manure is dropped, mixed with 

 about an equal quantity of soil, leveled and 

 lightly packed down. About ten seeds are 

 then dropped on these hills, covered with an 

 inch of soil, and firmly pressed upon with the 

 blade of the hoe. 



If the ground is moist, or showers occur 

 soon, the seeds will sprout in four or five 

 days. As soon as the rows become plainly 

 visible, a horse cultivator is used in both 

 directions, repeating the operation once a 

 week until the vines become too large. When 

 the vines are three or four inches high, a 

 thorough hand-hoeing should be given, pull- 

 ing out all weeds, hilling up lightly, and 

 removing all but the four strongest plants 

 from each hill. 



As soon as Cucumbers of marketable size 

 appear, picking should commence, as these 

 first ones, if left too long, exhaust a great 

 deal of the strength of the vines. Where 

 sufficient help can be secured for daily pick- 

 ings, and if properly cared for, near a ready 



market, pickles are among the most profit- 

 able crops a farmer can raise. 



The principal hinderance to the more gen- 

 eral cultivation of pickles has been, until 

 within a few years, the large quantities of 

 yard-manure which were supposed to be in- 

 dispensable to their culture — the entire yard 

 product being often applied to the "pickle 

 patch," to the detriment of the remaining 

 land. The practice of extensive growers has 

 proved, however, that as good results may 

 be obtained from commercial fertilizers, 

 either alone or in connection with stable 

 manure, and at considerably less cost. 

 Mapes's Complete Manures and similar fer- 

 tilizers are successfully used for growing 

 Cucumbers and Melons near this city. 



The selection of the most suitable vari- 

 eties is, as in other specialties, of great im- 

 portance. The annexed engraving gives a 

 clear representation of the principal .vari- 

 eties for pickling as well as table use. 



Green Prolific (No. 1) is, without excep- 

 tion, the best variety for pickling. It is 



English Frame Cucumbers, of which No. 6 

 is the type, have never gained much favor 

 here, although highly prized in England. 

 They are not suited for out-door culture, and 

 except as curiosities have nothing to recom- 

 mend them in preference to some of the 

 above varieties. 



\RIETIES OF CUCU 



more productive than any other kind, regu- 

 larly and uniformly shaped, producing hardly 

 any overgrown and ill-shaped ones. 



Early Cluster, or Short Green, is also exten- 

 sively grown for pickles, and was, before the 

 introduction of the preceding one, the lead- 

 ing pickling variety. It is very productive, 

 but, on account of its tendency to grow too 

 short and round, is losing in favor. 



Long Green (No. 2) is of fine appearance, 

 long and slender, but not very prolific. 



Early Frame (No. 3) differs but little from 

 Cluster ; is perhaps somewhat earlier. 



Early Russian (No. 4). Short, oval, smooth, 

 growing in dense clusters around the stem. 

 This is the earliest out-door variety, and on 

 this account desirable for early table use. 



Arlington, or Improved White Spine (No 5). 

 This is the best and most handsome table 

 variety we have ever grown. It is exten- 

 sively raised for early forcing near Boston, 

 and in the South for the supply of northern 

 markets. The skin of the small Cucumber 

 is rather too tender for a market pickle, but 

 for that reason, and on account of its attract- 

 ive appearance, very desirable for home use. 



EXPERIENCES WITH PEAS. 



How to prolong the bearing season of Peas, 

 as much as possible, has always been a prob- 

 lem, the solution of which is of great import 

 to every one who cultivates a garden, and the 

 experience of Mr. H. J. Seymour, Madison 

 Co., New-York, in this regard, deserves 

 special consideration at this season. 



Mr. Seymour writes: "While hoeing, last 

 summer, my Little Gem Peas, growing on rich, 

 mucky land, between Strawberry rows four 

 feet apart, I noticed that some of the plants 

 had more than one bearing stalk. The ques- 

 tion occurred to me why all could not have 

 several stalks, and, of course, more pods, 

 provided the land was rich 

 enough and there was 

 room enough between 

 them for air and sunshine. 

 Then came the thought of 

 what I had heard and read 

 about shortening-in plants 

 to make them more stocky 

 and fruitful, and of the 

 practicability of a simi- 

 lar treatment for Peas. 

 It was already late in the 

 season, the first blossoms 

 just showing themselves 

 in most cases, yet the ex- 

 periment was worth try- 

 ing, and as I had an acre 

 of these Peas it could not 

 amount to much if I did 

 injure a few plants. So I 

 counted off just six hun- 

 dred plants on one row, 

 stuck a stake firmly in the 

 ground, and pinched re- 

 morselessly an inch or 

 more, blossoms and all, 

 from the top of every one 

 of these plants. Then I 

 counted six hundred 

 I plants on the row next to this, and drove a 

 stake, without disturbing the plants. 



' ' I watched the decapitated vines with much 

 interest, and snre enough new branches came 

 out abundantly near the ground and from the 

 axils of the leaves. They finally budded, 

 blossomed, and fruited more abundantly 

 than their neighbors, although about a 

 week later. None of the Peas were picked, 

 the entire crop being saved for seed. They 

 were thrashed, winnowed, and carefully meas- 

 ured separately on the 2 2d of August, with 

 the following result : The six hundred headed- 

 off plants yielded five plump quarts, while the 

 six hundred unpruned ones, in the adjoining 

 row, yielded four scan t quarts." 



The practical value of this shortening-in 

 of Pea-vines, as appears from this single 

 experiment, consists, therefore, not only in an 

 increased productiveness of twenty-five per 

 cent., but also in the prolonging of the 

 period of picking from a single planting. By 

 pruning a part of the vines, the harvest of 

 these becomes delayed a week, and tnus all 

 the advantages may be secured that would 

 i otherwise require two plantings. 



