The middle of April the plants will be fir on g enough j 
to ridge out, you rnuft therefore be provided with a 
heap of new dung, in proportion to the quantity of 
holes you intend to plant, allowing one load to fix 
holes. When your dbng is fit for ufe, you muft dig 
a trench about two feet four inches wide, and in 
length juft as you pleafe, or the place will allow •, 
and if the foil be dry, it fhould be ten inches deep, 
but if wet, very little in the ground, levelling the 
earth in the bottom •, then put in your dung, ob- 
ferving to ftir and mix every part of it as was directed 
for the firft hot-beds, laying it clofe and even. 
When this is done, you muft make holes about eight 
inches over, and fix inches deep, juft in the middle 
of the ridge, .and three feet and a half diftance from 
each other •, and if there be more than one ridge, the 
diftance of thole ought to be eight feet and a half 
from each other ; then fill the holes with good light 
earth, putting, a flick into the middle of each for a 
mark, and afterwards cover the ridge over with earth 
about four inches thick, laying the earth the fame 
thicknefs round the fides. When the earth is levelled 
fmooth, you muft fet the glafies on upon the holes, 
leaving them clofe down about twenty-four hours, in 
which time the earth in the holes will be warmed 
fufficiently to receive the plants ; then with your hand 
ftir up the earth in the holes, making it hollowin form 
of a bafon ; into each of which you fhould plant three 
or four plants, obferving to water and fhade them until 
they have taken root •, after which time you muft be 
careful to give them a little air by raifing the glafies 
on the oppofite fide to the wind, in proportion to 
the heat of the weather, as alfo to water them as you 
jfhall fee they require it ; but you muft only raife the 
glafies in the middle of the day, until the plants fill 
the glafies, at which time you fhould raife the glafies 
with a forked flick on the fouth fide, in height pro- 
portionable to the growth of the plants, that they 
may not be fcorched by the fun ; this alfo will harden 
and prepare the plants to endure the open air, but 
you fhould not expofe them too foon thereto ; for it 
often happens, that there are morning frofts in May, 
which are many times deftru&ive to thefe plants when 
expofed thereto •, it is therefore the fureft method to 
preferve them under the glafies, as long as they can 
be kept in without prejudice to the plants ; and if 
the glafies are railed with two bricks on the backfide, 
and the forked flick on the other fide, they may be 
kept in a great while without danger. 
Towards the latter end of May, when the weather 
appears fettled and warm, you fhould turn your plants 
down gently out of the glafies ; but do not perform 
this in a very dry, hot, funny day, but rather when 
there is a cloudy fky, and an appearance of rain ; 
you muft in doing of this raife the glafies either upon 
bricks, or forked flicks, whereby they may Hand fe- 
cure at about four or five inches high from the 
ground, that the plants may lie under them without 
bruifing ; nor fhould you take the glafies quite away 
till the latter end of June, or the beginning of July, 
for thefe will preferve the moifture much longer to 
their roots than if they were, quite expofed to the 
open air ; about three weeks after you have turned 
the plants out of the glafies, they will have made a 
considerable progrefs, efpecially if the weather has 
been favourable, at which time you fhould dig up the 
fpaces of ground between the ridges, laying it very 
even ; then lay out the runners of the Vines in exad 
order, and be careful in this work not to difturb the 
Vines too much, nor to bruife or break the leaves 
this digging of the ground will loofen it, and thereby 
render it eafy for the roots of the plants to ftrike into 
it, as alfo render the lurface of the earth more 
agreeable to the Vines that run upon it. After this 
there will be no farther care needful, but only to keep 
them clear from weeds, and to water them as often 
as they fhall require, which they will foon fhew, by 
the hanging of their greater leaves. The ridges, 
thus managed, will continue to produce large quan- 
tities of fruit from June until the latter end of Au- 
3 
go. ft, after which time the coldnefs of the feafon ren- 
ders them unwholefome, efpecially if the autumn 
prove wet. 
From thefe ridges people commonly preferve their 
Cucumbers for feed, by making choice of two or 
three of the faireft fruit upon each hole, never leaving 
above one upon a plant, and that fituated near the 
root of it j for if you leave more, they will weaken 
the plant fo much, that your other fruit will be final!, 
and fewer in number: but thofe perfons who value 
themfelves upon producing Cucumbers very early, 
commonly leave three or four Cucumbers of the firft 
produce of their earlieft crop, when the fruit is fair^ 
and the feeds of thefe early fruit, are generally' pre- 
ferred to any other for the firft crop. Thefe fhould re- 
main upon the Vines until the middle or end of Auguft, 
that the feeds may be perfectly ripe •, and when you 
gather them from the Vines, it will be proper to fet the 
fruit in a row upright againft a hedge or wall, where 
they may remain until the outer cover begins to de- 
cay ; at which time you fhould cut them open, and 
fcrape out the feeds, together with the pulp, into a 
tub, which fhould be afterwards covered with a board, 
to prevent filth from getting amongft the pulp. In 
this tub it fhould be fuffered to remain eight or ten 
days, obferving to ftir it well with a long ftick to the 
bottom every day, in order to rot the pulp, that it 
may be eafily feparated from the feeds •, then pour 
fome water into the tub, ftirring it well about, which 
will raife the fcum to the top, but the feeds will fettle 
to the bottom ; fo that by two or three times pouring 
in water, and afterwards {training it off from the 
feeds, they will be perfedlly cleared from the pulp ; 
then you fhould fpread the feeds upon a mat, which 
fhould be expofed to the open air three or four days 
until they are perfedtly dry, when they may be put 
tip in bags, and hung up in a dry place where ver- 
min cannot come to them, where they will keep good 
for feveral years, but are generally preferred when 
three or four years old, as being apt to produce lefs 
vigorous, but more fruitful plants. 
I fhall, in the next place, proceed to give airedlions 
for managing Cucumbers for the laft crop, or what 
are generally called picklers. 
The feafon for fowing thefe is towards the latter end 
of May, when the weather is fettled. The ground 
where thefe are commonly fown, is between Cauli- 
flowers, in the wide rows, between which are allowed 
four feet and a half fpace when the Cauliflowers were 
planted. In thefe rows you fhould dig up fquare 
holes at about three fe£t and a half diftance from 
each other, breaking the earth well with a fpade, and 
afterwards fmoothing and hollowing it in the form 
of a bafon with your hand ; then put eight or nine 
feeds into the middle of each hole, covering them 
over with earth about half an inch thick ; and if it 
fhould be very dry weather, it will be proper to water 
the holes gently in a day or two after the feeds are 
fown, in order to facilitate their vegetation. 
In five or fix days, if the weather be good, your 
plants will begin to thruft their heads above ground ; 
at which time you fhould be very careful to keep off 
the fparrows, which are very fond of the young ten- 
der feed-leaves of thefe plants ; and, if they are not 
prevented, will deflroy your whole crop : but as it is 
not above a week that the plants are in danger, it 
will be no great trouble to look after them during 
that time-, for when the plants are come up, and 
have expanded their feed leaves, the fparrows will not 
meddle with them. 
You muft alfo be careful to water them gently, as 
you find the drought of the feafon may require ^ and 
when you perceive the third or rough leaf of the 
plants begin to appear, you muft pull out all the 
weakefl plants, leaving only three or four of the moll 
promifing and beft fituated in each hole, ftirring the 
earth round about them with a fmall hoe to deflroy 
the weeds, and raife the earth about the fhanks of 
the plants, putting a little earth between them, pref- 
fing it gently down with your hand, that the plants 
may 
