28 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  ll,  1900. 
COMMERCIAL  GARDENING,— No.  1, 
The  notes  on  the  expansion  of  the  hothouse  industry  published  in 
the  Journal  of  Horticulture  last  year  (page  268,  September  28th), 
which  were  taken  from  Mr.  W.  E.  Bear’s  report  on  “  Flower  and  Fruit 
Farming  in  England,”  would,  no  doubt,  cause  a  certain  amount  of  sur¬ 
prise  to  those  readers  who  know  nothing  of  the  hundreds  of  acres  of 
glass  houses  round  London,  devoted  to  the  production  of  fruit,  flowers, 
and  vegetables  for  market. 
There  are  hundreds  of  small  growers  scattered  all  ovei  England, 
who  have  never  had  the  opportunity  of  visiting  districts  like  Worthing, 
Turnford,  Ponders  End,  or  Bexley  Heath.  To  visit  these  places,  and 
the  large  establishments  situated  there,  is  often  one  of  their  greatest 
desires,  but  it  is  another  matter  to  try  to  satisfy  their  wish.  They 
find  that  the  large  growers  are  either  too  busy  or  do  not  care  about 
visitors  going  round  the  nursery,  and  consequently  it  is  only  a  few 
that  know  tlie  almost  clockwork  methods  which  some  of  our  best 
growers  follow,  and  the  splendid  way  in  which  their  crops  are  grown. 
Knowing,  therefore,  the  difficulties  which  stand  in  the  way  of  your 
readers  paying  “visits,”  the  writer  (who  has  long  been  a  worker  in 
some  busy  hives  of  industry)  thinks  perhaps  a  few  articles  on  the 
methods  of  market  growers  may  prove  useful  to  them. 
How  Trey  Grow  Cucumbers. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  houses  that  “  the  trade  ”  build  in  which  to 
grow  Cucumbers,  one  12  feet  and  the  other  15  feet  in  width,  and  any 
length  from  50  to  300  or  more  feet.  The  12  feet  wide  houses  are 
thought  to  be  tbe  best  suited  for  those  who  have  to  grow  Cucumbers 
in  a  cold  and  exposed  situation,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
larger  houses  are  more  useful  and  profitable,  and  cost  very  little  more 
to  build. 
The  big  growers  build  their  houses  in  blocks — i.e.,  instead  of  each 
house  being  separated  from  the  next  by  a  partition  wall,  the  whole 
block,  which  may  consist  of  five  or  fifty  houses,  have  no  partitions 
betw'een  them,  but  the  gjutter  boards  rest  on  w'ood  piers.  There  are 
very  few  growers  now  who  use  more  than  four  rows  of  4-inch  pipes  to 
each  house,  even  when  the  house  is  15  feet  in  width.  The  cost  of  a 
12  feet  wide  Cucumber  house  will  be  from  12s.  to  14s.  per  foot  run  to 
build,  while  those  15  feet  in  width  can  be  built  at  a  cost  of  from 
148.  to  16s. 
Ketuen  in  Crop  for  Outlay. 
No  doubt  tbe  figures  we  shall  give  under  this  head  will  be  open  to 
criticism,  for  many  growers  can  no  doubt  show  a  greater  return  both 
in  the  quantity  of  fruit  and  the  price  returned  for  them.  We  shall, 
however,  give  what  some  crops  realised,  the  number  of  plants  grown 
being  6000. 
Most  market  growers  endeavour  to  grow  at  least  two  crops  of 
Cucumbers  in  one  year.  The  first  plants  are  obtained  from  seed  sown 
now,  and  they  fruit  from  March  till  the  end  of  June;  the  next  batch 
is  sown  the  first  week  in  June,  and  planted  out  between  the  old 
plants  as  soon  as  they  are  ready.  A  good  average  crop  for  the  first 
set  of  plants  will  be  from  three  to  four  dozen  to  each  plant,  and  from 
the  second  crop  Irom  two  to  two  and  a  half  dozen  to  the  plant.  The 
latter  are  planted  2^  feet  apart,  and  as  the  fruit  sold  in  the  market 
will  fetch  on  an  average  2s.  a  dozen,  it  is  not  a  hard  matter  to  find 
out  what  one  is  likely  to  realise  from  a  house  of  “  Cues.”  Of  course 
there  is  also  the  catch  crop  to  consider,  for  market  growers  who  have 
12  feet  wide  houses  grow  four  rows  of  French  Beans  in  them,  while 
two  rows  of  early  Tomatoes  are  grown  down  the  centre  of  the  larger 
houses.  Both  Beans  and  Tomatoes  are  planted  out  or  potted  at  the 
same  time  as  the  Cucumbers  are  planted.  The  Beans  are  over  in  a 
month  from  planting,  the  Tomatoes  in  ten  weeks. 
Raising  Plants. 
Nearly  all  Cucumber  plants  grown  for  market  work  are  raised 
from  seeds.  The  seed,  as  above  indicated,  should  be  sown  at  once,  if 
fruit  be  wanted  at  the  end  of  March.  Very  little  is  gained  by  very 
early  sowing,  for  the  day  of  big  prices  for  Cucumbers  is  past,  and 
what  may  be  gained  now  by  getting  the  fruit  a  week  or  fortnight 
earlier  than  the  end  of  March  is  not  wmrth  having,  as  the  extra  fuel 
required  often  costs  more  than  the  profit  will  amount  to.  Nearly  all 
market  growers  sow  the  Cucumber  seeds  in  48*8  or  5-inch  pots.  The 
soil  used  is  a  mixture  of  three  parts  turfy  loam  and  one  part  of  decayed 
farmyard  manure.  Turf  that  has  been  stacked  long  enough  for  the 
grass  to  decay  is  found  most  suitable.  The  48’s  should  be  clean,  and 
each  of  them  must  have  a  crock  put  in  it,  and  over  this  about  an 
inch  of  rough  soil.  On  the  top  of  the  rough  soil  place  about  an  inch 
of  prepared  soil,  and  then  press  one  seed  into  the  centre  and  just 
cover  it.  After  the  sowing  is  finished  give  the  soil  a  good  soaking 
of  water,  and  then  place  the  pots  in  heat. 
It  is  of  no. use  to  try  to  induce  Cucumber  seeds  to  germinate  in  a 
low  temperature.  They  will  not  grow,  but  rot.  The  temperature 
most  suitable  for  germination  is  7 0°  F.  by  night  and  80°  to  85°  by  day 
with  sun  heat.  On  very  cold  nights  the  temperature  may  be  allowed 
to  fall  to  60°,  and  no  harm  will  accrue,  but  the^  temperature  firet 
named  is  the  one  to  aim  for. 
After  germination  has  taken  place  and  the  seed  leaves  are  formed, 
from  65°  at  night  to  85°  by  day  wall  suit  them  well.  Growers  not 
provided  with  a  propagating  house  no  doubt  will  find  it  difficult  to 
obtain  the  temperatures  named.  There  are  two  ways  of  getting 
over  this  difficulty.  The  first  is  to  make  up  a  small  hotbed  in  the 
glass  house,  put  a  garden  frame  and  light  on  it,  and  place  the  pots- 
inside  ;  the  second  plan  is  to  sow  in  small  60’s,  and  place  them  inside 
48’s  or  32’s,  and  stand  the  latter  on  the  hot-water  pipes,  covering  each 
pot  with  a  piece  of  glass.  The  plants  in  the  fiO’s  can  be  transferred 
to  48’s  as  soon  as  they  are  large  enough. 
Treatment  of  the  Seeblings. 
When  the  seedling  Cucumbers  raised  in  48's  are  big  enough,  tl  e- 
space  left  at  sowing  must  be  filled  to  within  half  an  inch  of  the  top  of  the 
pot  with  prepared  soil.  This  operation  is  best  performed  when  the  plants 
huve  two  fully  developed  seed  leaves,  and  the  first  rough  leaf  is  about 
2  inches  across  it.  Soil  similar  to  that  used  for  the  sowing  should  be 
used,  only  have  it  more  lumpy.  Do  not  press  the  soil  when  tor- 
dressing  at  all  firmly,  and  give  water  carefully  until  the  new  roots 
have  begun  to  extend  freelv  in  the  new  soil.  The  temperature  at  this 
stage  should  be  65°  at  night  and  80°  by  day.  3  he  atmosfihere  must 
be  kept  moist  by  judicious  damping,  and  when  the  plants  are  lat  ge- 
enough  they  must  be  seemed  to  stakes. — Tom  Slowman. 
EARLY  PEAS. 
In  large  establishments  Peas  cannot  be  had  too  early,  and  various 
means  are  adopted  for  advancing  the  crop.  Many  amateurs,  too, 
adopt  means  for  having  an  early  supply. 
November-sown  Peas  sometimes  come  in  the  earliest,  and  in  other 
cases  they  are  behind  those  sown  in  spring.  If  outdoor  culture  is 
exclusively  followed,  the  autumn-sown  Peas  might  be  the  first  in 
most  instances  ;  but  if  a  little  extra  attention  be  given  to  spring-sown 
Peas  they  will  be  the  more  satisfactory.  I  think  it  would  astonish 
many  if  it  was  only  known  the  quantity  of  seed  that  is  lost  through 
various  causes  by  November  sowing,  and  the  patchy  rows  we  often 
see  in  spring  promise  anything  but  a  full  and  abundant  crop.  Mice 
and  other  vermin  are  more  destructive  on  these  than  those  sown  at 
any  other  time,  and  it  is  generally  before  the  growths  come  through 
the  -soil  that  the  injury  is  done.  From  this  it  may  be  inferred  that 
if  early  Peas  were  sown  under  protection,  and  planted  after  they 
had  grown  a  few^  inches,  losses  on  blank  rows  would  be  nearly 
unknown.  This  is  my  opinion,  and  of  all  ways  of  forwarding  early 
Peas  I  think  there  is  none  better  than  sowing  the  seeds  under  cover 
and  planting  out. 
I  have  tried  many  ways  of  raising  young  Pea  plants — such  as- 
sowing  them  in  turves,  in  tiles,  old  waterspouts,  and  boxes,  but  I 
never  found  them  do  so  well  as  in  3-inch  pots.  Sowings  made  in 
two  or  three  hundred  of  these  (I  have  to  cater  for  a  large  family) 
supply  plants  to  make  several  fine  rows.  No  drainage  is  put  in  the 
pots,  but  a  little  rough  manure  is  placed  at  the  bottom  of  each,  and 
then  rich  soil  is  rammed  firmly  over  this  until  the  pot  is  about  three 
parts  full,  when  from  eight  to  twelve  Peas  are  put  in  each  and 
covered  with  a  little  mote  of  the  soil.  They  are  then  placed  closely 
together  in  a  cold  frame  or  cool  house,  and  no  water  is  given  until  the 
growths  are  seen.  These  soon  appear,  and  water  is  supplied  after¬ 
wards  as  it  may  be  required.  They  are  placed  as  near  the  glass  as 
possible,  but  never  in  forcing  heat,  as  this  would  weaken  the  growths. 
Air  is  admitted  on  all  favourable  occasions  until  they  are  large 
enough,  and  the  weather  permits  of  their  being  planted  out. 
When  the  time  comes  for  planting  the  pots  are  well  filled  with 
healthy  roots,  and  the  work  is  done  without  injuring  a  leaf  or  root. 
All  our  best  spring  and  early  summer  Peas  were  raised  in  this  way 
last  year,  and  I  never  had  better.  The  labour  rec^ired  is  inconsider¬ 
able  compared  with  the  advantages.  In  planting  we  do  not  place  the 
potfuls  as  close  together  as  they  will  stand,  but  each  little  tuft  is 
planted  about  6  inches  from  the  other.  Before  they  come  into  pod 
they  look  as  if  they  were  or  had  been  originally  packed  in  close 
together.  If  a  little  old  potting  soil  can  be  placed  against  the  roots 
at  planting  time  it  assists  them  in  growing.  The  stakes  are  inserted 
into  them  at  once,  and  if  the  situation  is  bleak  or  the  w^eather  cold 
a  few  Fir  branches  or  Laurel  trimmings  are  put  in  here  and  there  for 
shelter. 
With  valuable  Peas  it  is  a  bad  plan  to  trust  the  seed  in  the  ground 
early  in  the  season,  as  from  various  causes  many  may  fail ;  but  if  the 
plants  are  raised  in  pots  all  dangers  of  the  kind  cease.  In  fact,  all 
our  new  Peas  are  raised  in  this  way,  whether  they  are  wanted  in 
spring,  summer,  or  autumn,  as  many  of  them  can  only  be  had  in  small 
quantities. — K.  G. 
