THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 167 
no cucumber plant, ceteris paribus, thrives so thoroughly as 
the one that was grown from the first in a good body of 
earth, and has never been disturbed at the root. 
One of the important points in management is to store up 
sun heat as much as possible, without injuring the plants. 
Give air as soon as the day is sufficiently advanced, and shut 
up early, so as to shut in warmth enough to keep things 
right until the morning. It never hurts cucumber plants to 
have a temperature of 90° with sunshine and air, but 70° is 
a good average, and 60° is not unsafe. It is good practice to 
avoid shading as much as possible, but weak plants must be 
shaded for some time after they are first put out, and there 
will occur in the summer roasting times when the most 
•robust of established plants will need to be partially screened 
from the sun’s rays. Syringe regularly, water regularly ; but 
modify watering and ventilation to suit the changes of the 
weather. During a dull cold time in July give no water for 
•a few days, and give very little air ; remembering always that 
the cucumber is a delicate plant, and a certain degree of 
warmth is one of its first requisites. 
As the plants acquire age, it is proper to consider whether 
they shall be removed and replaced by young plants, or whe- 
ther an attempt shall be made to rejuvenate them. Generally 
speaking, the season will be too far gone for young plants to 
have a fair chance, but something may be done with the old 
ones. Cover the hillocks with about four or even six inches 
of fat dung, into which the roots will rise very quickly. At 
the same time cut out one or two of the oldest shoots, and 
about a week afterwards cut out one or two more. By this 
treatment a lot of new growth will be secured, and this in 
time will bear good fruit. It is of the utmost importance to 
remove only one or two of the old shoots at a time, for if the 
plants are much cut about, they will die, and there is an end 
of the matter. 
Summer Cucumbers in Houses are both ornamental and 
useful, as will be seen by reference to page 237 of the 
“ Amateur s Greenhouse and Conservatory ,” where will be 
found a figure and description of the manner in which we 
grow cucumbers in a span-roofed geranium-house during the 
summer. The house now used for this purpose is a span- 
roofed Paxtonian, put up by Messrs. Heremann and Morton. 
It is fitted on each side of the walks with the usual uprights, 
