52 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
leading shoots to a length sufficient to reach it; when this point 
is gained they should be 44 stopped,” and thus induced to pro¬ 
duce lateral branches; these should be disposed at regular dis¬ 
tances on the trellis in a direction towards the top of the house. 
When they have grown about half-way, they each should also 
be 44 stopped,” and this will produce several new ramifications 
of the stem. The uppermost one, if vigorous and healthy, 
should be trained upwards towards the top of the house, and 
the others should receive a lateral direction ; if these do not 
show fruit at the second leaf from the main branch they must 
be stopped again, and this operation should be continually 
repeated at every leaf until fruit is produced ; the upper part of 
the house should have the same kind of treatment. When fruit 
blossoms are perceived, the branches on which they occur 
should be permitted to extend until after the flower has ex¬ 
panded, with a view of leading up a suitable, but not accumu¬ 
lative, supply of food at that delicate period; after this the 
branch should be stopped at the next leaf beyond the fruit; this 
will throw in a more abundant supply to that particular part, 
which is now performing functions peculiarly its own, and which 
require to be properly supported and encouraged: the leaf be¬ 
yond will serve as a reservoir to receive the surplus supply, and 
as a laboratory to purify and assimilate that which reaches it, 
and return its appointed portion towards sustaining the consti¬ 
tutional vigour of the plant. 
This system of pruning must be continued whilst the branches 
continue in a bearing state, but when any symptoms of decay 
or of expended powers are perceived, they may be pruned quite 
away, and young and vigorous branches encouraged in their 
stead. All this pruning, except that of removing the main 
shoots, should be done at a sufficiently early period of growth; 
to be effected with the thumb nail ; for, like all other plants, 
cucumbers are best treated when whatever pruning they require 
is performed when the least amount of trouble and labour is 
required to perform it. It is better to remove a portion of any 
plant at an early period of its growth, and thus to economise its 
vital energies, rather than to suffer them to be expended, and the' 
supply to become exhausted through a superfluous development, 
and then to deprive it of the very organs by the action of which 
the expenditure would be again recompensed to the vital energies. 
Season .—But little can be said as to the exact time at which 
