450 CUC 
brought up, they mult not buffer from cold, for that will 
boon deftroy them. 
In this bed the plants may remain about three weeks 
or a month, in which time, if they have been properly 
managed, they will have obtained fufficient ftrength to 
put out for good ; therefore a proper quantity of dung 
fliould have been mixed and turned ready for making the 
beds. The ufual quantity allowed at this feafon, is one 
■good cart-load to each light: this fliould be well mixed 
and turned over in the manner before diredled ; then 
a trench fliould be dug in the ground, the length and 
-width of the intended bed, into which the dung fliould 
be wheeled, and properly worked according to the above 
directions, andfome old dung or neat’s dungfpread over 
the top. The frames and glaffes fliould then be put on 
the bed, which fliould be raifed every day to let the 
fleam of the dung pafs off, and in about three days the 
bed will be in a proper temperature of heat to receive 
the plants ; at which time the dung fliould be covered 
over with dry earth about four inches thick, and in the 
middle of the bed it fliould be three or four inches thicker; 
this fliould be laid upon the dung, at leafl twenty-four 
hours before the plants are removed into the bed, that 
the earth may be properly warmed ; then the plants 
fliould be carefully fliaken out of the pots, preferving all 
the earth to their roots, and placed on the top of the 
earth in the middle of the bed. Two, or at moll three, 
pf thefe plants, will be fufficient for each light; and 
thefe fhould be placed at about feven or eight inches 
afunder, not all the roots together, as is too often prac- 
tifed. When the plants are thus fituated in the bed, the 
earth which was laid fo much thicker in the middle of 
the bed, fliould be drawn up round the ball which re¬ 
mained to the roots of the plants, into which their roots 
will foon ftrike; there fliould always be a magazine of 
good earth laid under cover to keep it dry, for the earth¬ 
ing of thefe beds; for, if taken up wet, it will chill the 
beds, and alfo occafion great damps in them, fo that it 
is quite neceffary to have a fufficient quantity of earth 
prepared long before it is ufed. 
When the plants are thus fettled, they muft have pro¬ 
per air and water, according as they may require, being 
careful not to admit too much cold air, or give too much 
water. The glaffes fliould alfo be well covered with 
mats every night, to keep up the warmth of the bed, 
and fome frefli earth fliould be put into the bed, at dif¬ 
ferent times, which fliould be laid at fome diftance from 
the roots of the plants till it is warmed, and then fliould 
be drawn up round the heap of the earth in which the 
plants grow, to increafe the depth ; this fliould be raifed 
to the full height of the former ball, that the roots of 
the plants may more eafily flrike into it: by this method 
of lupplying the earth, the whole furface of the beds 
will be covered nine or ten inches with earth, which will 
be of great fervice to the roots of the plants; for where 
the earth is very fliallow, the leaves of the plants will 
.always hang in the heat of the day, unlefs they are 
fliaded, and the plants will require more water to keep 
them alive than is proper to give them ; therefore it will 
be found much the better way to allow a proper depth 
of earth to the beds. But the reafon of not laying the 
quantity-of earth on the bed when it is firft made, is, 
that the dung fhould not be too much chilled by it, or 
that the earth may not be burned, which might be en¬ 
dangered thereby, were the whole thicknefs to be laid 
on at once; belides, by thus gradually applying the 
earth, it will be frefli, and much better for the roots of 
the plants, than that which has been long upon the bed, 
and has been too much moiftened by the fleam ariling 
from the dung. 
If the heat of the bed fliould decline, there fhould be 
fome hot dung laid round the fide of the bed to renew 
the heat; for, if that ihould fail at the time when the 
fruit appears, they will fall off and perifli; therefore this 
mull be carefully regarded j and when the plants have 
i 
U M I S. 
put out fide branches, which the gardeners call runners, 
they fliould be properly placed, and pegged down with 
fmall forked flicks to prevent their riling up to the 
glaffes, and alfo from croffing and entangling with each 
other; for, when they are properly directed at firff, 
there will be no neceffity for twifting and tumbling the 
plants afterwards, which is always hurtful to them. 
When the earth of the bed is laid the full thicknefs, it 
will be neceffary to raife the frames, otherwife the glaffes 
will be too clofe to the plants; but when this is done, 
there muft be care taken to flop the earth very clofe 
round the fide of the frame, to prevent the cold air from 
entering under them. The watering the plants, and ad¬ 
mitting frefli air to them, muft be diligently attended to, 
otherwife the plants will be foon deftroyed ; for a little 
neg'left either of admitting air, or letting in too much, 
or of over watering, or ftarving the plants, will very foon 
deftroy them part recovery. 
When the fruit appears upon the plants, there will 
alfo appear many male flowers on different parts of the 
plant; thefe may at firft fight be diftinguifhed, for the 
female flowers have the young fruit fituated under the 
flowers, but the male have none ; but thefe have three 
ftamens in their center with their antheras, which are 
loaded with a golden powder. This is defigned to im¬ 
pregnate the female flowers, and when the plants are 
fully expofed to the open air, the foft breezes of wind 
convey this farina or male powder from the male to the 
female flowers; but, in the frames where the air is fre¬ 
quently too much excluded at this feafon, the fruit often 
drops off for want of it; ar.d I have often obferved, that 
bees that have crept into the frames when the glaffes 
have been raifed to admit the air, have fupplied the 
want of thole gentle breezes of wind, by carrying the fa¬ 
rina of the male flowers on their hind legs into the female 
flowers, where a fufficient quantity of it has been left to 
impregnate them. Thefe infedts therefore have taught 
the gardeners a method to fupply the want of free air, 
which is fo neceffary for the performance of this in the 
natural way. This is done by carefully gathering the 
male flowers at the time when this farina is fully formed, 
and carrying them to the female flowers, turning them 
down over them, and with the nail of one finger, gently 
ftriking the outflde of the male, fo as to caufe the pow¬ 
der on the fummits to fcatter into the female flowers, 
and this is found to be fufficient to impregnate them; fo 
that by pradtifing this method, the gardeners have now 
arrived at a much greater certainty than formerly, to pro¬ 
cure an early crop of cucumbers and melons. 
When the fruit of the cucumbers are thus fairly fet, 
if the bed is of a proper temperature of warmth, they 
will foon fwell, and become fit for ufe ; fo all that is 
neceffary to be oblerved, is to water the plants properly, 
which fliould be done by fprinkling the water all over 
the bed, for the roots of the plants will extend them- 
felves to the fide of the bed ; therefore thole who are 
inclined to continue thefe plants as long as poffible in 
vigour, fliould add a fufficient thicknefs of dung and 
earth all round the fides of the beds, fo as to enlarge 
them to near double their firft width ; this will fupply 
nouriftiment to the roots of the plants, whereby they 
may be continued fruitful great part of the fumnier; 
whereas, when this is not pradtifed, the roots of the 
plants, when they have reached the fide of the beds, are 
dried by the wind and fun, fo that the plants languiffi 
and decay long before their time. Thole gardeners who 
are fond of producing early cucumbers, generally leave 
two or three of their early fruit, which are fituated upon 
the main Item of the plant near the root, for feed; which, 
when fully ripe, they carefully fave to a proper age for 
fowing, and by this method they find a great improve¬ 
ment is made of the feed; and this they ufe for their 
early crops only, for the fuceeeding crops do not deferve 
fo much care and attention. 
We have here only mentioned the method of railing 
the 
