December 9, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
937 
Vegetables 
" # i W~~ ° A 
ALL THE YEAR ROUND. 
XVII. 
CUCUMBERS, 
These are very accommodating plants as 
regards the growing of the haulm. They may 
be trained on trellises in houses or on the sur¬ 
face of a bed in a frame, and if sufficient beat 
is given and the plants well attended to as 
regards the thinning out of shoots, watering, 
and keeping all clean around them, they will 
repay the labour bestowed upon. them. 
The Soil and Situation.— A medium heavy 
loam is better than a very sandy or clayey 
one. The loam should be used fairly fresh, 
1. Cucumter seed, natural 
size. 
2. Plant in seed leaf stage. 
The rough leaf, a, must be 
taken great care of. 
with the grass only just dead ; three parts 
should be loam and one part half-decayed 
leaf soil without any sticks in it. Mix the 
two soils thoroughly, anil you will then have a 
good rooting medium for. your plants to grow 
in. 
Cucumber plants require heat ; the haulm 
is succulent, and needs plenty of sunshine and 
moisture to keep it in good bearing condition. 
As the growths are produced in heat, they are 
soon checked or entirely spoilt if cold winds 
are allowed to blow upon them, consequently 
the situation must be an open one—open to a 
long spell of sunshine daily;—but sheltered 
from the north and east winds. 
Culture in Houses. —During the summer 
time the plants may be successfully grown in 
lean-to and span-roofecl houses, just the same 
as in frames, but it is absolutely necessary to 
have artificial heat provided in houses and 
also pits when attempting to grow early and 
late crops. 
Sowing the Seeds. —Procure some 31,-incli 
pots, put one crock in the bottom of each, 
three parts fill them with medium rich loam, 
leaf soil, and sand ; then sow the seeds, put¬ 
ting one seed in each pot ; cover with soil one 
inch deep, and place the pots in a bottom heat 
of 75 deg., if available, until germination has 
taken place. 
Gradually expose the seedlings to the 
ordinary temperature of the house, which 
should range, without sun heat, about 68 deg. 
by day and 53 deg. by night being the lowest. 
1 hose temperatures are for February and 
Match months. 
In the meantime prepare the border. A 
slight hotbed will greatly assist the plants to 
make a good start, so, if possible, provide one. 
On the hotbed place the loam and leaf soil 
previously recommended to a depth of 15in. 
and 2ft. wide. 
Planting and Training. —Directly the soil 
in the bed is sufficiently warm, put out the 
plants, allowing a space of about 3ft. between 
each one. Train the main stem to wires 
under the glass ; allow side shoots to grow, 
but pinch off the latter immediately beyond 
the first, joint, pinching the main stem also 
when it has reached three parts up the roof. 
From the joints more branches will grow, and 
Cucumber fruits, too'. 
The pinching and tying must be done re¬ 
gularly, and the fruits cut while quite young, 
before they get at all tough or turn yellow. A 
fruit is generally fit to cut when sixteen days 
old. 
How to Manage the House.— Success 
depends to a great extent upon the proper 
management of the house. If the day be dull, 
say in May, the temperature of the house at 
9 o'clock a.m. should be 68 deg., at noon 
75 deg., and at 5 o’clock p.m. 70 deg. The 
plants will only need syringing at noon, but 
the hortse should be damped three times. 
Ventilation will not be needed unless the sun 
shines. 
If the day be bright, the temperature should 
be, at the hours stated above, 75 deg., 85 deg., 
and 90 deg. It will be necessary to syringe 
the plants before 8 o’clock a.m., and again at 
closing time, between 2 and 3 o’clock p.m. 
Damp the house four or five times during the 
day, and give ventilation from about 7.30 a.m. 
to closing time. 
Culture in Frames.— The seeds should be 
sown in the frame early in April. A hotbed 
is necessary. Upon this put some soil of the 
same quality as that recommended for the 
plants, in houses, but have it somewhat deeper 
in the centre under each light. 
The branches must be trained over the sur¬ 
face of the soil thinly, as overcrowding would 
prove ruinous. It is much better to commence 
the culture of these plants in frames, when 
there is a chance of obtaining assistance from 
sunshine. 
The section of abed planted. A, rubble; 
h, hotted ; c, soil ; cl, open space ; heat 
from pipes, c, warms the roots of plants. 
1 he training of the shoots, damping of the 
interior of the frame, and ventilation all re¬ 
quire similar attention to that advised for 
house plants. 
Feeding and Topdressing.— As the roots of 
the plants appear on the surface of the bed 
add thin, coatings of lumpy loam and leaf- 
soil mixed. This will be required to be done 
about once every three weeks. Diluted 
manure water and approved artificials should 
also be given. 
Diseases and Insect Pests. -The most 
troublesome disease is canker. Canker of 
the stem can rarely be cured sufficiently to 
warrant the retention of the plant affected. 
Bruises of the stem will cause canker, also 
unaccountable splitting just above the soil 
level. When first observed rub in dry lime. 
“ Clubbing ” of the roots is, perhaps, the 
next worst disease. Sour soil will cause 
“ clubbing,” and also the use of too much 
leaf-soil, which gets very dry. if neglected for 
a few days. 
Where there is “ clubbing,” make the bed 
firm and top dress with rich composts. Eel 
worms are also troublesome ; they attack the 
roots*, and consequently it is difficult to de¬ 
stroy them without injuring the plant too. 
As a preventive, mix some soot in the com- 
How to stop the branches. B, 
main stem ; c c, young fruits : 
a a a, the p-oper point at which 
to pinch oil' the side shoots. 
post ; a 6-in. potful to a barrow load of the 
latter. 
Wireworms should be trapped by inserting 
Carrots in the border, examining them daily, 
and thus capturing the enemy. 
The foliage will be ruined by red spider 
if the house is allowed to become dry fre¬ 
quently ; soapy water will rid the leaves of 
the pest, but judicious syringing will prevent 
the appearance of the spider. A dry atmos¬ 
phere encourages the spread of the insects, 
a damp one prevents them. Green and black 
fly may be destroyed by gently fumigating 
the. house. 
Varieties.— Hollisson’s Telegraph. Model. 
The Rochford, Paragon, Frogmore Prolific. 
For outdoor culture the Japanese Climb¬ 
ing, Long Prickly, and Stockwood Ridge are 
the best. 
In season all the year round where there 
is plenty of artificial heat at command in the 
winter ; and from May to October in ordi¬ 
nary circumstances. G. 
Seedless Figs. —The Fig, as grown in 
Canterbury, New Zealand, is quite devoid of 
seed, and, says a correspondent of the “ Can¬ 
terbury Times?” I have never seen, even in 
the warmer climate of the North Island, where 
the Fig fruits well, a fruit that contained any 
seed. 
