CUCUMBER 
Plant 2 pounds per acre. 
In the garden plant 1 packet to 50 feet of row for a family of 3 or 4 people. 
Kilgore’s western-grown cucumber seed stocks have been espe- 
cially 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. 
CuLtureE. 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 plant- 
ing. 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. Fall plantings are made 
in late August and in September. Spring planting in Florida 
begins early in January and continues through February. Plant 
in rows 5 to 6 feet apart, 6 inches apart in the row, and thin 
to 1 or 2 feet between every two plants in the row. Sometimes 
it is very difficult 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 pantings 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 com- 
pared to planting over again. The time gained by several plant- 
ings might mean hundreds of dollars in extra profits by secur- 
ing earlier maturity, as compared to planting over. Eight or 
ten days’ difference in the time of maturity of an early cucum- 
ber 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. 
For the control of insects and diseases on cucumbers see page 59. 
It is very important to treat cucumber seed with Semesan 
before planting. This material kills disease germs in the soil 
around the young plants. (See pages 49 and 52). 
For an earlier Cucumber crop and as a protection against 
beetles, use Hotkaps. (See page 59). 
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. 
CUBIT (New) (50 days.) Cubit is a promising new variety 
of cucumber which won the All America Bronze Medal for 
1944 because of its outstanding good qualities. The vine growth 
is vigorous and the plants are prolific, in season about the 
same as A & C and Colorado varieties, a little later than 
Straight 8. The smooth fruits are of unusually dark green 
color, and average about 8% inches in length, are cylindrical 
in shape with blunt ends, without much taper, and with a very 
small seed cavity making them ideally adapted for slicing. 
They hold their color, crisp texture and fresh quality well in 
shipping and on the market. This uniformly attractive appear- 
ing, high quality, good shipping and keeping variety is bound 
to become a leader as soon as it becomes better known among 
commercial cucumber growers of Florida. 
Pkt. 10c; oz. 35c; 4 Ib. $1.00; 1 Ib. $3.50 
STRAIGHT-8. (47 days.) The plant is vigorous in growth, 
very prolific and produces symmetrical, almost cylindrical 
fruits. As indicated by the name, the fruits are perfectly 
straight, averaging about eight inches long, well filled at the 
ends and when ready for harvest are smooth and dark green 
in color. Our improved strain is darker green in color than 
other strains and exceedingly uniform in size, shape and color, 
making it an ideal packing and shipping type. Especially rec- 
ommended for fall planting in Florida, but should not be plant- 
ed for a late spring crop because the fruits have a tendency to 
be very light in color late in the season. 
Pkt. 10c; oz. 30c; %4 Ib. 75e; 1 Ib. $2.50 

A field of Straight-8 cucumbers grown under troughs in Florida. 

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