cue 
fci Holland they cultivate a long white prickly Cu- 
cumber only, which is very different from the Turkey 
Cucumber, being near as rough as the common fort ; 
but this is not fo. hardy as our common fort, fo is fel- 
dom cultivated m England ; but the fruit is not fo wa- 
tery or full of feeds as the common, therefore is pre- 
ferable to it for the table. 
The third fort here enumerated is rarely cultivated, 
but in botanic gardens for the fake of variety, the 
fruit being very indifferent, and the plants being 
tender, require a good heat to bring them to perfec- 
tion in England ; thefe plants ramble very far, fo muff 
have much room, and they are not very fruitful. 
The common fort is cultivated in three different fea- 
fons, the hr ft of which is on hot-beds under garden- 
frames, for early fruit ; the fecond is under bell or 
hand-glaiTes, for the middle crop ; and the third is 
in the common ground, for a late crop, or to pickle. 
1 fhali begin with giving directions for railing Cu- 
cumbers early, which is what moft gentlemens gar- 
deners have an emulation to excel each other in •, and 
fome have been at the pains and expence to have ripe 
fruit in every month of the year, which is rather a cu- 
riofity than any real advantage ; for Cucumbers 
•that are produced before April, cannot be fo whole - 
fome as thofe that are later •, for before the fun hath 
ftrength enough to warm the beds through the glaffes 
in the day-time, all the heat muft proceed from the 
fermentation of the dung, which muft confequently 
occafion a very conliderable fteam, as alfo a great 
quantity of air will be thereby generated, which, be- 
ing pent up in the hot-bed, foon becomes rancid ; 
and the fteam of the bed being by the cold of the 
night condenfed into large drops of water, thefe, be- 
ing abforbed or infpired by the plants, muft certainly 
make the fruit crude and unwholefome, efpecially 
when the nights are very long. This, together with 
the great expence and trouble of procuring them ear- 
lier, having in fome meafure got the better of peoples 
ambition, fo this is lefs pradifed than it hath been 
fome years fince ; but as there are many perfons who 
value themfelves on their fid!) >n 
D A J 
.... .. , . be cenfered, as being 
deficient in what they call an effential part of garden- 
ing, ftiould we omit the method pradifed for railing 
thefe fruit early in the year. Therefore fhali proceed 
to give luch diredions, as if carefully attended to, 
'will not fail of fuccefs. 
Thofe perfons who are very defirous to be early with 
their Cucumbers, generally fow their feeds before 
Chriftmas, but the generality of gardeners commonly 
put their feeds into the hot-bed about Chriftmas. 
Where perfons have the conveniency of a ftove for 
raifing thefe plants, it is attended with lefs trouble 
than a common hot-bed, and is a much furer me- 
thod, becaufe the plants will have a much greater 
fhare of air, which will alfo be lefs mixed with damp 
or rancid vapours j for by the heat of the fires thefe 
will be diffipated, and the temperature of the air is 
kept more equal than can be done with all poflible 
care in a hot-bed, at a feafon when we enjoy but lit- 
tle fun ; therefore where there is this convenience, the 
feeds ftiould be fown in fmall pots, filled with light 
dry earth, and plunged into the tan-bed, in the 
warmeft part of the ftove. The pots with earth 
fhould be plunged three or four days before the feeds 
are fown, that the earth may be properly warmed to 
receive them •, the feeds ftiould he at lead three or 
four years old, but if it is more, provided it will grow, 
it will be the better. If the feeds are good, the plants 
will be begin to appear in about a week or nine days, 
at which time there muft be as many halfpenny pots 
filled with dry light earth, as there are plants defign- 
ed for planting (always allowing for lofs; fo that where 
twenty-four plants are wanting, there fhould be thirty 
raifed) ; thefe pots fhould be plunged into the bark- 
bed, that the earth may be warmed to receive the 
plants, which fhould be pricked into thefe pots as foon 
as the two firft leaves are raifed above ground ; into 
each of thefe pots may be two plants pricked, but 
when they have taken root, and are fafe, the worff 
ftiould be drawn out, being careful not to difturh the 
roots of thofe which are left. In the management of 
thefe plants, there muft be great care taken not to 
give them too much water; and it will be very pro- 
per to put the water into the ftove fome hours before 
it is ufed, that the cold may be taken off ; but there 
muft be caution ufed not to make it too warm, for 
that will deftroy the plants ; they muft alfo be guard- 
ed from the moifture which frequently drops from 
the glafies of the ftove, which is very deftrudive to 
thefe plants while young. As thefe plants muft not 
be kept too long in the ftove left they become trou- 
blefome to the other plants, there ftiould be a proper 
quantity of new dung prepared for making a hot-bed 
to receive them ; this muft be in proportion to the 
quantity of holes or plants intended : for a .middlinp- 
family fix or nine lights of Cucumbers will be fufficS 
ent, and for a large one double the quantity ; but the 
beds where they are defigned to remain need not be 
made fo foon, but rather a fmall bed of one lip-ht, 
in which the plants may be trained up, till they have 
acquired a greater fhare of ftrength ; and for this bed 
one good cart load of dung will be fufficient. This 
fhould be new, and not too full of few, nor fhould 
it want a proper portion ; it ftiould be wei 1 mixed to- 
gether and thrown in a heap, mixing fome lea-coal 
allies with it ; after it hath lain in a heap a few days, 
and has fermented, it fhould be carefully turned over 
and mixed, laying it up again in a heap ; and if there 
is a great fhare of ftraw in it, there may be a necefiky 
for turning it over a third time, after having laid a few 
days : this will rot the ftraw and mix it thoroughly 
with the dung, fo there will be lefs danger of its burn- 
ing afterward when the bed is made, which fhould 
be done when the dung is in proper order. The 
place where the hot-bed is made fhould be well fhel- 
tered by Reed hedges, and the ground fhould be 
dry; then there fhc Id be a trench made in the 
ground, of a pro gth an^ bread ft and a foot 
deep at leaft ; into - ■- 1 ^mg ftiould ue 1 1 1 
. uirefuhy ftjrrcd up and mixed, fo that no p. of 
it ftiould be left unfeparated, for where there is not 
this care taken, the bed will fettle unequally ; there 
fhould alfo be great care taken to beat the dung down 
clofe in every part of the bed alike. When the bed 
is made, the frame and glaffes fhould be put upon 
it to keep out the rain, but there fhould be no earth 
laid upon the dung till two or three days after, that 
the fteam of the dung may have time to evaporate. 
If there fhould be any danger of the bed burning, it 
will be proper to lay fome fhort old dung, or fome 
neats dung, over the top of the hot dung about two 
inches thick, which will keep down the heat, and 
prevent the earth from being burnt ; after this there 
fhould be a fufficient number of three farthing pots 
placed upon the bed, filled with light dry earth, and 
all the interftices between them filled up with any com- 
mon earth. In two or three days the earth in thefe 
pots will be of a proper temperature of warmth to re- 
ceive the plants, which fhould be then turned out of 
the halfpenny pots, preferving the ball of earth to 
their roots, and planted into the three farthing pots, 
filling up the pots with good earth ; then a little wa- 
ter fhould be given them to fettle the earth about their 
roots, being careful not to give them too much wet ; 
and as thefe will have fuch large balls of earth to their 
roots, they will not feel 'their movement, therefore 
will not require fhading from the fun ; but the glaffes 
fhould be raifed up a little on the contrary fide from 
the wind, to let the fteam of the bed pafs off ; and 
they fhould alfo be frequently turned in the day- 
time, that the wet occaftoned by the fteam of the 
dung may be dried, otherwife the moifture will fall 
on the plants, which will be very injurious to them. 
If the bed ftiould heat too violently, fo as to endan- 
ger fealding the roots of the plants, the pots may be 
raifed fo as to allow of a little hollow at their bottoms, 
which will effedually prevent A - therebv : and 
when the. heat declines, the pots may be . ; 4t . ... 
3 again. 
4 
