CUCUMBER 
Plant 2 pounds per acre. 
In the garden plant one packet in ten hills for a family of 3 or 4 people. 
Seed supply of all varieties very short. All prices quoted are subject to change without notice. 
Kilgore’s western-grown Cucumber seed stocks have been 
especially developed for Florida. Our Cucumber seed stocks 
are thoroughly tested each season so we know our stocks are 
true to type and best suited to Florida conditions. 
Cutture. Rich, moist, sandy loam soil is the best for grow- 
‘ing Cucumbers. The soil should be well fertilized with a good 
vegetable fertilizer such as a 4-7-5 mixture applied at the rate 
of 1200 lbs. to a ton per acre a week or ten days before planting. 
The early “Cukes” are the ones that bring the money, and to 
get them early you must figure on protecting them with troughs, 
because they are very sensitive to cold, and sometimes the 
slightest frost will ruin the crop. Spring planting in Florida 
begins early in January and continues through February. Plant 
in rows 4 or 5 feet apart in hills 2 to 3 feet apart in the drill, 
dropping 6 to 8 seeds in each hill. Sometimes it is very diffi- 
cult to get a stand early if the ground is wet and cold, as the 
seed will rot before it germinates. Frequently two or three 
plantings have to be made to get an early stand. In fact, many 
successful growers make three and four plantings in between 
hills at intervals of four or five days so that in case of frost or 
some disaster to the planting that is already up, there is another 
stand of seed just ready to come out of the ground, which would 
mean a gain of six to ten days as compared to planting over 
again. The time gained by several plantings might mean hun- 
dreds of dollars in extra profit by securing earlier maturity, 
as compared to planting over. Eight or ten days’ difference 
in the time of maturity of an early Cucumber crop often makes 
an enormous difference in the price and returns from the crop. 
Cucumbers are pollinated by either hived or wild bees. Un- 
der unfavorable conditions or in isolated locations it is always 
desirable to provide a strong hive of bees in cucumber fields 
in order to insure perfect pollination and a good set of fruits. 
The bees should not be placed in the field until the cucumbers 
begin to blossom, in order to provide food for the bees so they 
will remain in the cucumber fields. Without proper pollination 
the cucumbers are deformed, or at least a large percentage of 
bottlenecks and nubbins are produced, and a small set of fruits 
develop, due to lack of bees to facilitate proper pollination of 
the female blossoms with pollen carried by the bees from male 
blossoms. 
Spraying Cucumbers regularly is a most important factor in 
producing a crop, therefore we advise spraying with Pyrox 
every week from the time the plants are up until harvest be- 
gins. Frequently rust or blight will destroy a crop in two or 
three days, when plants have not been sprayed. We strongly 
advocate the use of Pyrox (See page 51) for Cucumbers to 
control blight and other diseases. The striped cucumber beetle 
is the most serious insect pest affecting this crop. The adult 
beetles eat the leaves, and the larvae feed on the roots and base 
of the stem, causing a stunted or dwarfed growth. This beetle 
also spreads bacterial wilt and mosaic disease. The most affec- 
tive control for striped cucumber beetles and the green pickle 
worm is dusting with Pyrocide. (See page 50.) Aphids are 
also a serious cucumber pest, and they may be effectively con- 
trolled by the use of Activated Nicotine dust or Pyrocide dust. 
(See page 50.) 
For an earlier Cucumber crop and as a protection against 
beetles, use Hotkaps. (See page 54.) 
It is very important to treat cucumber seed with Seme- 
san before planting. This material kills disease germs in 
the soil around the young plants. (See page 51.) 
Even though our cucumber seeds are grown in disease-free 
territory in the West, it is a safe precaution to control anthrac- 
nose, scab and angular leaf spot, all of which diseases may be 
seed borne, to soak the seed for five minutes, no longer, just 
before planting, in a solution of corrosive sublimate, one tablet 
in a pint of water or one ounce of powder in 744 gallons of wa- 
ter, in a non-metallic container, thoroughly washing the seed 
in clear water immediately after treatment, and dry them as 
quickly as possible. 
The number of days after each variety represents the time 
from seed planting to first picking under average spring or 
fall conditions in Florida. 
Prices quoted are postpaid. 
Write for special prices on larger quantities. 

A Field of Kilgore’s Colorado Cucumbers Grown under Troughs in Sumter County, Florida. 


16 Kilgore’s Florida Stores: Plant City, Belle Glade, Gainesville, Homestead, Miami, 
Pahokee, Palmetto, Pompano, Sanford, Vero Beach, Wauchula, West Palm Beach 
