cue 
height proportionable 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 Ihould not expofe them too foon ; for it often 
happens, that there are morning froths in May, which 
are many times dellructive to thefe plants; it is there¬ 
fore the fureft method to preferve them under the glaffes, 
as long as they can be kept in without prejudice to the 
plants; and if the glalfes are railed with two bricks on 
the backlide, and the forked thick on the other fide, they 
may be kept in a great while without danger. 
Towards the latter end of May, when the weather ap¬ 
pears fettled and warm, you ihould turn your plants 
down gently out of the glalfes; but do not perform this 
in a very dry, hot, funny, day, but rather when there is 
a cloudy Iky, and an appearance of rain; you mull 
in doing this raife the glalfes either upon bricks or 
forked (hicks, whereby they may (hand fecure at about 
four or five inchies high from the ground, that the plants 
may lie under them without bruifing; nor Ihould you 
take the glalfes quite away till the latter end of June, or 
the beginning of July, for thefe will preferve the moif- 
ture 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 glalfes, they will have 
made a confiderable progrefs, efpecially if the weather 
has been favourable, at which time you Ihould dig up 
the fpaces of ground between the ridges, laying it very 
even; then lay out the runners of the vines in exaft or¬ 
der, and be careful in this work not to dilturb the vines 
too much, nor to bruife or break the leaves ; this dig¬ 
ging of the ground will loofen it, and thereby render it 
eafy for the roots of the plants to llrike into it, as alfo 
render the furface of the earth more agreeable to the 
vines that run upon it. After this there will be no far¬ 
ther care needful, but only to keep them clear from 
weeds, and to water them as often as they lhall require, 
which they will foon Ihew by the hanging of their greater 
leaves. The ridges, thus managed, will continue to 
produce large quantities of fruit from June until the lat¬ 
ter end of Auguft, after which time the coldnefs of the 
feafon renders them unwholel'ome, efpecially if the an- 
tumn prove wet. 
From thefe ridges people commonly preferve their 
cucumbers for feed, by making choice of two or three 
©f the faired fruit upon each hole, never leaving above 
ene upon a plant, and that fituated near the root of it; 
for, if you leave more, they will weaken the plant fo 
much, that your other fruit will be fmall, 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 earliell 
crop, when the fruit is fair ; and the feeds of thefe early 
fruit are generally preferred to any other for the firft 
crop. Thefe Ihould remain 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 decay ; at which time you Ihould cut them 
open, and ferape out the feeds, together with the pulp, 
into a tub, which Ihould be afterwards covered with a 
board, 'to prevent filth from getting amongft the pulp. 
In this tub it fhould be luffered to remain eight or ten 
days, obferving to ftir it well with a long Hick to the 
bottom every day, in order to rot the pulp, that it may 
be ealily feparated from the feeds ; then pour fome wa¬ 
ter into the. tub, ftirring it well about, which will raife 
the feum to the top, but the feeds will fettle to the bot¬ 
tom ; lo that by two or three times pouring in water, 
and afterwards draining it off from the feeds, they will 
be pertedtly cleared from the pulp ; then you Ihould 
fpread the feeds upon a mat,, which fhould be expofed 
to the open air three or four days until they are perfectly 
dry, when they may be put up in bags, and hung up in 
Voh. V. No. 2S6. 
U M I S. 453 
a dry place where vermin 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. 
Culture of Cucumbers in the open Ground .—The feafon for 
fowing thefe is towards the latter end of May, when the 
weather is fettled. The ground where they are com¬ 
monly fown, is between cauliflowers, in the wide rows, 
between which are allowed four feet and a half fpace 
when the cauliflowers were planted. In thefe rows you 
Ihould dig up fquare holes at about three feet 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, it it 
Ihould 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 
fliouid be very careful to keep off the fparrows, which 
are very fond of the young tender feed-leaves of thefe 
plants ; and, if they are not prevented, will deftroy 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 mull alfo be careful 
to water them gently, as you. find the drought of the fea¬ 
fon may require ; and, when you perceive the third or 
rough leaf of the plants begin to appear, you mull pull 
out all the weakeft plants, leaving only three or four of 
the mod promifing and belt fituated in each hole, ftir¬ 
ring the earth round about them with a fmall hoe to 
deftroy the weeds, and raife the earth about the (hanks 
of the plants, putting a little earth between them, prelF- 
ing it gently down with your hand, that the plants may 
be thereby feparated from each other to a greater dil- 
tance ; then give them a little water (if the weather be 
dry) to fettle the earth about them, which you mull af¬ 
terwards repeat as often as you (hall find it necelfary, Hill 
being careful to keep the ground clear from weeds. 
W hen your cauliflowers are quite drawn off the ground 
from between the cucumbers, you mult hoe and clean 
the ground, drawing the earth up round each hole in 
form of a bafon, the better to contain the water when it 
is given them ; you mud alfo lay out the plants in exaCt 
order as they are to run and extend, fo that they may 
not interfere with each other; then lay a little earth be¬ 
tween the plants left, prefling it down gently with your 
hand, the better to fpread them each way, giving them 
a little water 'to fettle the earth about them, repeating 
it as often as the feafon fliall require, and obferving to 
keep the ground clean from weeds. The plants thus 
managed, will begin to produce fruit toward the end of 
July, when you may either gather them young for pick¬ 
ling, or fuffer them to grow for large fruit. 
The quantity of holec, necelfary for a family, is about 
fifty or lixtv ; for, if you have fewer, they will not pro¬ 
duce enough at one gathering to make it worth the trou¬ 
ble and expence of pickling, without keeping them too 
long in the houfe ; for you cannot expeft to gather more 
than two hundred at each time for fifty holes; but this 
may be done twice a-week during the whole feafon, 
which commonly lads five weeks ; fo that from fifty 
holes you may reafonably expeft to gather-about two 
thoufand in the feafon, which, if they are taken fmall, 
will not be too many for a private family. And if fo 
many are not wanted, they may be left to grow to a pro¬ 
per lize for eating. 
Additional Directions .—In the culture of early cucum¬ 
bers, that is fuch as are in perfection during the months 
of March and April, where there is not a conveniency 
of ftoves for railing the feedling plants* it is proper to 
3 Z ha-v s 
