Vegetable Growing in Colorado. 
15 
may be planted again. In the home garden, it is^well to have a suc¬ 
cession of plantings in order to supply the table for a considerable 
period. . 
Sweet corn is in the proper stage for gathering when the grains 
are plump, well developed and just entering the dough stage. It 
should not be gathered for the table more than two or three hours 
before it is to be cooked, as its quality is injured by keeping longer 
than this. The ideal stage of sweet corn on the stalk is of short 
duration and it should be pulled at the proper time. 
CUCUMBER. 
1.- 
Soil and 'Climate .—The best soil for cucumbers is a sandy, 
gravelly, or clayey loam. For early crops the sandy soils are best, 
while the clayey loam, is better suited for the main crop. The cu¬ 
cumber, being a semi-tropical plant, will not grow to its greatest 
perfection in Colorado on account of the cool nights, but by start¬ 
ing the plants early good yields can be obtained. The plants are 
less susceptible to disease in this climate than in the east and this 
compensates to a large extent for the smaller yield. 
Planting .—Since the cucumber is a tender vegetable, the seed 
cannot be planted until after danger of frost is past. The soil 
should previously be well prepared and fertilized with stable ma¬ 
nure. Rows are laid off about six feet apart and the seed planted 
in hills three feet apart in the row. Six or eight seed should be 
planted in a hill and when the plants are well established all but 
two or three are thinned out. , 
In order to secure plants early, thus allowing for a long¬ 
er growing period, the seed may be planted in strawberry boxes in 
the greenhouse or hotbed about the middle of March and trans¬ 
planted to the field when there is no longer danger from frost. 
Cucumber plants do not transplant readily by the ordinary method, 
but when put in strawberry boxes a mass of soil adheres to the 
roots and they can be transplanted without any difficulty. The 
boxes, which will have become more or less rotten can be easily 
broken away from the enclosed soil. 
Cultivation— Clean surface cultivation should be given cu¬ 
cumbers. If planted in check rows, the crop may be cultivated both 
ways, thus saving much hard work. All weeds must be kept down 
and the soil stirred after each rain or irrigation. 
Picking .—In order to keep the vines growing and bearing, the 
cucumbers must not be allowed to ripen. For slicing, they are 
picked when six to eight inches long, while for pickling, they are 
removed when they have attained the desired size. Usually, the 
smaller the fruit, the more desirable it is for pickling. 
