i82 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [March. 
placed immediately under the base of the flower; or, in other words, 
the embryo fruit issues forth with the flower-bud on its top, visible 
from its first eruption from the stem of the plant; but the male 
blossom is placed immediately on the top of its foot-stalk without 
any appearance of fruit under its base. 
The same operation of impregnating or setting the fruit, as above, 
may also be practised on melons, which will have the same effect 
as in cucumbers; but as melons are only eatable when ripe, it will 
be five or six weeks longer before they attain full size and mature 
ripeness. 
Sow Cucumber and Melon Seed. 
Sow in the above, or any new-made hot-beds, the seeds of cucum- 
bers and melons, at the beginning, and also about the middle, 
and towards the latter end of this month, to have a supply of young 
plants in readiness, either to plant into new beds, or to supply the 
place of such plants as may fail. 
The sorts of cucumbers are the early short prickly, long green 
prickly, white prickly, long green Turkey, long white Turkey, 
the Smyrna, and the Roman. 
But the first two sorts are commonly cultivated for the early and 
general crop, the short prickly being the earliest, and is therefore 
often sown for the first crop in the frames; but the long green 
prickly is the best to sow for a main crop, either for the frames or 
hand-glasses, or in the natural ground; it being both a plentiful 
bearer in long continuance, and the fruit attains the most handsome 
regular growth, six or eight to ten or twelve inches in length. 
Making new Hot-beds to transplant Cucumbers, Sfc. 
Make hot-beds the beginning of this month to plant the cucum- 
ber or melon plants upon, which were sown the latter end of January, 
or any time in February; make the beds very substantial, fully 
three feet and a half or four feet high, having the dung previously 
prepared, as directed in January, page 13, which will prevent a 
violent heat taking place after its being made; let the cucumber or 
melon plants be planted therein, and managed as directed in that 
month and in February. 
There are many gardeners and others who cannot conveniently 
procure dung to begin to make hot-beds for cucumbers or melons 
at an early season. Where that is the case, it is not too late to 
begin now; and a hot-bed may be made the beginning or any time 
of the month, and the seeds of cucumbers and melons sown therein; 
the cucumbers from this sowing will be fit to cut towards the end 
of April, be in full bearing the beginning of May, and will continue 
fruiting a long time. The melons will come to perfection in June 
and July. 
Cucumbers and Melons for Bell or Hand-glasses. 
About the eighteenth or twentieth, or any time towards the end 
