October 17.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 31 
with ten times its measure of water, and applied witli a 
syringe to the parts of plants infected with the green-fly, 
it causes so speedy a destruction of those insects, that 
the greater part disappear after the first dose, and a 
second application is sufficient to clear away all the 
remainder. Upon mentioning this discovery to a person 
whose garden was four days since in a most deplorable 
state, from swarms of green-fly, he ordered his gardener 
to repeat the experiment with gas liquor, weakened with 
twelve times its measure of water. The following morn¬ 
ing, upon looking over the hushes, it was scarcely pos¬ 
sible to detect a living individual; the leaves were green 
and much refreshed by the operation. The syringing 
was only used twice. 
These applications require the greatest circumspec¬ 
tion, for if the liquor is in the least too strong it destroys 
all the leaves. A good plan is to dip a shoot into the 
liquor before using this, and if the leaves after twenty- 
four hours are uninjured, then, without fear, the liquor 
may be applied generally. 
Carbonate of ammonia has been recommended to be 
placed as a stimulant to the plants growing in frames 
and other glass structures not heated by fermenting 
dung; and the results are said to be beneficial. A piece 
the size of a pea introduced occasionally and allowed to 
melt away of itself is enough. When dung is employed 
the introduction of ammonia is not necessary, for dung, 
as the source of heat, gives off ammoniacal fumes during 
its decomposition. What gardeners call scorching the 
leaves in cucumber and melon frames, as often arises 
from an excess of those fumes as from excess of heat; 
and allowing fermenting dung to sweeten, is no other 
than allowing time for the excess of ammonia to be 
driven off. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
Winter Cucumbers. —To well cultivate this much 
esteemed vegetable through the winter, is certainly one of 
those horticultural triumphs which cause the pro¬ 
duction to be the more relished in its use, through the 
difficulties that have occurred. Moreover, some degree 
of scientific lore is requisite, and, herein, is a source of 
much gratification to amateurs, who, in the main, being 
persons of education, are pretty well able to comprehend 
the action of heat, light, and moisture, wherein lies the 
chief pitli of the affair. 
Some persons, in these progressing times, possess what 
is termed a cucumber house; and, as we once before ob¬ 
served, it would be best for all parties who desire cu¬ 
cumbers continually, to build a house of the kind, which, 
for an amateur on a moderate scale, need not cost above 
twenty pounds. Such a house (or pit, if you will) about 
fifteen feet long, by eight or ten feet wide, would produce 
more, all the year round, than any ordinary family 
would consume; and with success in winter, the surplus 
produce might be so marketed, as soon to repay the 
original outlay. Nevertheless, as few of our readers 
will follow this advice, it will be better to address the 
matter to those who already possess a small stove, and 
who would fain combine winter cucumber culture with 
ordinary stove plants, or it may be pines. 
Before we proceed to details, it will be well to caution 
the readers of The Cottage Gardener against pro¬ 
ceeding in such a course in badly heated houses. It is 
quite in vain to attempt winter culture in any house 
that cannot be made to reach at least 55° during a 
severe frost—say with an outside thermometer of 20°. 
Those who have a house of the proper qualifications, 
in regard of heat, must next take into consideration the 
amount of atmospheric moisture they can produce per¬ 
manently ; for a mere gush of steam now and then will 
not suffice. And, lastly, it must be remembered, that j 
although cucumbers will sometimes succeed best in 
summer with a subdued light, yet, that they cannot 
have too much during winter; therefore, bright and 
clean glass is a prime requisite. 
Situation. —This must be well thought of, both as 
regards the cucumbers themselves and the other in¬ 
mates of the stove. They are generally placed by or 
over the back wall of a stove ; and a very good situation 
it is; but they should not be placed too near the roof, 
both on account of the proximity of the ventilating 
aperture and the danger of blistering or scorching in 
bright sunshine. If placed very near, the operator is 
obliged to have recourse to an amount of ventilation 
which is apt to be very prejudicial, as the cucumber 
plants are very impatient of cold currents of air in 
winter; wind, indeed, would probably prove fatal to 
them, for we may scarcely hope for a mild or soft wind 
in the winter season. 
Where a course of flues runs along the back of the 
house, the surface of such flues becomes an excellent 
situation, being indeed the very snuggest portion of 
the house, and the least liable to capricious extremes. 
Here, however, care must be taken to interpose some 
body between the flue and the tubs, boxes or pots, which 
contain the plants, or they will not succeed: the flue 
would at times prove much too hot, and the air would be 
too dry. Some contrivance must be had recourse to, 
therefore, to create a permanency of atmospheric moisture 
in the immediate neighbourhood of the boxes or tubs. 
Few things are better than deeply panelled earthen¬ 
ware tiles ; these in convenient lengths,—say two feet 
so as to be readily removed when necessary, and, above 
all things, panelled at least two clear inches deep,—if 
three, so much the better—make tbe thing very com¬ 
plete, and we would, by all means, have them as wide 
as possible. Indeed, we would have the flues surface, for 
its whole length and width, an entire sheet of .water 
when necessary, and this would be during four-fifths of 
the time at least. Some support must, as before ob¬ 
served, be intei'posed between the boxes and this water 
surface, or the soil would indeed become soured; a mo¬ 
derate thickness will suffice, unless the flue be very hot. 
Whatever this be, means must be taken to prevent the 
bottom of the boxes ever becoming hotter than 90°; 
the thickness of the intervening body must, therefore, 
be ruled by this matter. _ 
As to mode of training, that must be in part guided 
by the conditions of the interior of the house. The 
cucumber will bear training either upright or horizon¬ 
tally, or a mixture of both; training, therefore, is a 
subordinate affair. 
From the foregoing remarks it will be obvious,, that j 
the conditions of heat, light, and atmospheric moisture j 
being secured, all the rest is what may be termed ordi- , 
nary routine; but it may be well, before coming to the 
detail of that routine, to offer a few observations on the t 
management of temperature during the dull winter 
months. In the first place, although an old tale, let us J 
remark, that the heat must in all cases, or nearly so, ; 
follow the light; that is to say, bear a strict relation to i 
it. Now, there need be no fear on this head as to the 
stove plants or pines which may be in tbe same house, 
for their habits are as near as possible identical in these 
respects. Again ; although the heat should not be 
allowed to descend below 60° in the day-time in the 
dark days of December, yet it may not, by any means, 
