168 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
and a moveable flat stage under, in lengths, and consisting of 
open bars only. A few inches below this stage are large 
slates resting on stout cross pieces, and forming a continuous 
pavement five feet in width, raised about three feet from the 
floor, and running the whole length of the house on both 
sides. Close under the slates are the hot-water pipes, and 
therefore in the event of Dad water the cucumbers can have 
the advantage of artificial heat. 
The management is of the simplest kind. About the 
middle of May the house is cleared out. A hillock is then 
formed under the centre of each light, by first making a 
foundation of inverted flower-pots or seed-pans, with a good 
body of broken bricks and tiles laid over, and then a heap of 
good soil. The house is shut up, and, if needful, the fire is 
lighted ; generally speaking, however, the fire is not used at 
all, for when the chilly October days return the cucumbers 
have to be cleared out to make room for the geraniums. It 
may be observed, however, that to have means of supplying 
heat is a great advantage, for a shilling’s worth of coke may 
save the whole affair from ruin when wintry weather breaks 
into the heart of the summer, and the columns of the daily 
papers are suddenly choked with reports of potato disease. 
Strong plants are put out on the hillocks, and they are 
never stopped until they reach the roof. Then the points 
are pinched out. The side growths are carefully trained on 
temporary cords and wires, and as the growth thickens regular 
stopping and cutting out become necessary, but we stop little 
and cut less. Usually we begin to cut fruit in the first week 
of July, and go on to the end of September. The appearance 
of the house when the vines have got up is beautiful, and 
the amount of fruit produced is such, that to print the 
record of one good season would be to incur the suspicion of 
having searched for facts in the realms of fancy. One small 
point in the management we have found of great importance. 
It is to keep a clean stick inserted here and there in the 
hillocks. By drawing one out, we see in a moment what is 
the state of the soil as regards moisture. We call these 
C£ trial sticks,” for the sake of a name, and have never done 
so well as since we made it a rule that they should be always 
in use. The hillocks are of course always growing. We put 
on crumbs of clay with a little rotten dung at first, but as the 
plants come into full bearing, we put on fat half-rotten dung. 
