176 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
are produced than are really required. The leaves must he 
kept clean and healthy by gentle syringings on the mornings 
of mild days, when air can be admitted to dry up the super- 
fluous moisture quickly. A gentle fumigation of tobacco must 
be given directly there is the least trace of green-fly or thrips. 
A temperature of 70° to 75° by day, and 60° by night, is a 
safe temperature for so dull a season of the year. In the spring, 
plants that have been in bearing for two or three months very 
often show signs of weakness ; therefore, they must not be excited 
too soon. The middle or end of February will be plenty early 
enough, and then, as the days lengthen, a day temperature of 
80° by fire-heat may be maintained. Previous to increasing 
the day temperature, give the surface of the bed a top-dressing 
three inches in thickness of very short rotten dung, the fattest 
that can be obtained, or, what is better still, equal parts dung 
and good lumpy fibrous loam : this should be warmed before 
being put on the bed. The surface roots will soon find their 
way into this, and in a short time throw new life and vigour 
into the plants. In March, syringing, both night and early 
morning, may be practised with benefit, and a humid atmos- 
phere must also be maintained by the use of evaporating 
troughs, and by frequently damping the paths of the house. 
Cucumber plants absorb an immense quantity of moisture by 
their leaves. In a few weeks from this they will bear vigor- 
ously, and to keep them going, the roots must receive constant 
assistance by a good soaking with clear weak manure water 
once a week. 
Open-Air Culture. The cultivation of cucumbers on ridges 
out of doors is a very simple matter, and if a warm sheltered 
situation is selected, the crops will in favourable seasons be 
most excellent. The beds may be from two to four feet wide, 
and in their formation, first mark the space they are to occupy 
and then take out the soil to a depth of twelve or fifteen 
inches, and lay the soil on each side neatly. The trench is 
then filled to one foot above the level of the sides with stable 
manure, in a condition somewhat subdued as to heat ; litter, 
leaves, grass mowings, or other fibrous refuse may be added 
to the manure to increase the mass and assist in prolonging 
the bottom heat. The manure should be covered with about 
twelve inches of light and moderately rich loam, and the time 
for the application of the covering must be determined by the 
condition of the fermenting materials. If rank and hot, a few 
