C U C U M I S. 
water the young plants, which require no great quantity. 
Some medicate the water with lheep’s-dung, or good 
rotten horfe-dung, and wood-aflies, and put a lump of 
fal-ammoniac into the bottle when they water the feed- 
ling plants. But of fuch niceties there is no end. 
12. Cut the fruit in a morning, before the fun ftiines 
hot upon it, with all its ftalk to it, and lay it in a dry, 
cool, airy, place, till it is wanted for table. If it is to 
be fent to a diftance, cut it two or three days before it 
is perfectly ripe. 
13. Bark hot-beds are fometimes ufed in the culture 
of melons for the fruiting-beds, and are efteemed for this 
purpofe, as well as others, on account of their regular 
and durable heat. The expence, indeed, of thefe is 
fomewhat greater, but the trouble is lefs, and fruit may 
be produced to greater advantage, for no lining, or very 
little, will be necelfary; nor is lo much danger to be ap¬ 
prehended from (teaming or over-heating as in dung hot¬ 
beds. Thefe bark-beds muff be made either in a brick- 
pit, or in a frame of Itrong oak or barge planking. 
14. Melons may be railed with fuccefs from cuttings, 
and fruit may be obtained this way rather fooner than by 
plants railed from feed. 
THE CUCUMBER. 
Thofe perfons who are very defirous to be early with 
their cucumbers, generally fow their feeds before Chrift- 
xnas; but the generality of gardeners commonly put their 
feeds into the hot-bed about Chriftmas. Where perfons 
have the convenience of a dove for raiding thefe plants, 
it is attended with lefs trouble than a common hot-bed, 
and is a much furer method, becaufe the plants will have 
a much greater lhare of air, which will alfo be lefs mixed 
with damp or rancid vapours; for by the heat of the 
fires thefe will be diflipated, 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 little 
fun ; therefore, where there is this convenience, the feeds 
fliould be fown in fmall pots, filled with light dry earth, 
and plunged into the tan-bed, in the warmed part of the 
dove. The pots with earth fliould be plunged three or 
four days before the feeds are fown, that the earth may 
be properly warmed to receive them,, The feed lhould 
be at lead three or four years old; and, if it is more, 
provided it will grow, it will be the better. 
If the feeds are good, the plants will begin to appear 
in about a week or nine days, at which time there mud 
be as many halfpenny pots filled with dry light earth 
as there are plants defigned for planting, always allow¬ 
ing for lofs ; fo that, where twenty-four plants are want¬ 
ing, there fliould be thirty raifed ; thefe pots fliould 
be plunged into the bark-bed, that the earth may be 
warmed to receive the plants, which lhould be pricked 
into thefe pots as foon as the two fird 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 word fliould be drawn out, being careful not to dif- 
turb the roots of thofe which are left. In the manage¬ 
ment of thefe plants, there mud be great care taken not 
to give them too much water ; and it will be very pro¬ 
per to put the water into the dove fome hours before it 
is ufed, that the cold may be taken ofl'; but there mud 
be caution ufed not to make it too warm, for that will 
dedroy the plants. They mud alfo be guarded from the 
moidure which frequently drops from the glades' of the 
dove, which is very deftrudlive to thefe plants while 
young. As thefe plants mud not be kept too long in 
the dove, led they become troublefome to the other 
plants, there lhould be a proper quantity of new dung 
prepared for making a hot-bed to receive them ; this 
mud be in proportion to the quantity of holes or plants 
intended: for a middling family, fix or nine lights of 
cucumbers will be fuflicient, 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 
Vol. V. No. 286. 
449 
of one light, in which the plants may be trained up till 
they have acquired a greater lhare of drength ; and for 
this bed one good cart-load of dung will be fufficient. 
This lhould be new, and not too full of draw, nor lhould 
it want a proper portion; it fliould be well mixed toge¬ 
ther and thrown in a heap, mixing fome fea-coal allies 
with it; after it has lain in a heap a few days, and has 
fermented, it fliould be carefully turned over and mixed, 
laying it up again in a heap ; and, if there is a great lhare 
of draw in it, there may be a neceffity for turning it over 
a third time, after having laid a few days: this will rot 
the draw, and mix it thoroughly with the dung, fo that 
there will be lefs danger of its burning afterwards when 
the bed is made, which fliould be done when the dung 
is in proper order. 
The place where the hot-bed is made fliould be well 
flieltered by reed hedges, and the ground lhould be dry; 
then there lhould be a trench made in the ground, ot a 
proper length and breadth, and a foot deep at lead ; into 
which the dung fliould be wheeled, and carefully (lirred 
up and mixed, fo that no phrt of it fliould be leit unfe- 
parated, for where there is not this care taken, the bed 
will fettle unequally ; there fliould 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 glades 
fliould be put upon it to keep out the rain ; but there 
fliould be no earth laid upon the dung till two or three 
days after, that the fleam of the dung may have time to 
evaporate. If there fliould be any danger of the bed 
burning, it will be proper to lay fome fnort old dung, 
or fome neat’s 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 
fliould 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 common 
earth. In two or three days the earth in thefe pots will 
be of a proper temperature of warmth to receive the 
plants, which fliould 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 water fliould 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 removal, therefore will not require (hading from 
the fun; but the glades fliould be raifed up a little on 
the contrary fide from the wind, to let the fleam of the 
bed pafs off; and they fliould alfo be frequently turned 
in the day-time, that the wet, occafioned by the fleam of 
the dung, may be dried, otherwife the moiflure will fall 
on the plants, which will be very injurious to them. If 
the bed fliould heat too violently, fo as to endanger 
Raiding the roots of the plants, the pots may be raifed 
fo as to allow of a little hollow at their bottoms, which 
will effedhially prevent injury thereby; and, when the 
heat declines, the pots may be fettled down again. The 
glaffes of the hot-bed fliould be well covered with mats 
every night, to keep the bed in a proper temperature of 
heat, and great care mu ft be taken to admit frefli air 
every day to the plants ; but this fliould be done with 
caution, fo as to guard againft the cold winds which ufu- 
ally blow at that feafon; fo that a mat or canvafs fliould 
be hung over the opening made by railing of the glaffes, 
to prevent the cold air from rufhing in too violently, 
and the glades fliould always be raifed on that fide which 
is contrary to the wind. The plants will alfo require to 
be frequently watered, but it muft be cautioufly given 
them at this feafon, and the water fliould not be cold, 
but either placed in a ftove, or put into a warm heap of 
dung, to take off the chill from it before it is ufed. If 
the weather lhould prove bad, and the heat of the bed 
decline, there fliould be fome hot dung laid round the 
(ides of the bed to renew the heat, which mu ft not be 
fuffered to fail 3 for, as the plants have been tenderly 
S Y brought 
