CUCUMBER. MELON. 207 
from it. Of the leafy husk which surrounds the ear of 
the maize a beautiful kind of writing paper is manufac- 
tured at a paper-mill near Rimini in Italy ; and a greyish 
paper may be manufactured from the whole plant. The 
stalks are said to afford an excellent winter food for 
cattle. When 'the young ears are beginning to form, 
they have a sweet and agreeable taste. If, in this 
state, the leaves be stripped off, and the ears be sub- 
jected to pressure, a pleasant and palatable milky juice 
may be obtained from them. 
It is supposed that maize might, with advantage, be 
cultivated in England. 
223. The COMMON CUCUMBER (Cucurais sativus, 
Fig. 59.) is an oblong, rough, and cooling fruit, which is culti- 
vated in our kitchen gardens, and is supposed to have been 
originally imported into this country from some part of the 
Levant. 
Cucumbers are always eaten before they are ripe, and 
usually with vinegar, oil, pepper, and salt. They are 
sometimes stewed ; and when young (under the name 
ofgerkins), are pickled with vinegar and spices, or pre- 
served in syrup as a sweetmeat. 
As the cucumber plants are too tender to sustain the 
coldness of our climate exposed to the open air, it is 
necessary to sow the seed in hot-beds, or under hand- 
glasses; though, in the beginning of summer, the 
glasses may, without danger, be removed. The fruit is 
much improved by putting a piece of slate or a tile 
under each, instead of allowing it to lie upon the naked 
ground. 
224. The COMMON MELON, or MUSK MELON, *s 
a species of cucumber, produced by a creeping herbaceous plant 
(Cucumis melo), which has leaves with rounded angles, and 
grows wild in Tartary. 
In hot climates this fruit attains great perfection and 
a peculiarly fine flavour; and even in England, where it 
is cultivated in hot-beds, and sheltered by glass frames, 
it is one of the coolest and most delicious summer fruits 
