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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
March  21,  1901. 
the  extent  of  making  it  appear  quite  white  with  them  at  times.  In  some 
gardens  hotbeds  enclosed  by  walls  are  still  employed  in  houses,  much 
as  they  were  when  house  culture  first  came  into  vogue.  Undoubtedly 
this  kind  of  bottom  heat  does  give  the  plants  a  strong  start,  but  the 
manure  in  such  positions  decays  very  rapidly,  becoming  a  mass  of 
humus  long  before  the  Cucumber  plants  have  passed  the  period  when 
they  might  reasonably  be  expected  to  be  played  out.  Many  of  the 
Cucumber  roots  take  possession  of  the  manure  when  in  a  comparatively 
fit  state  for  them  to  occupy,  only  to  perish  when  it  is  too  rotten  and 
sodden  to  keep  them  alive.  For  this  hotbed  of  manure,  or  manure  and 
leaves,  a  deep  bed  of  soil  over  bottom  heat  pipes  nearly,  or  quite  on  the 
floor  level,  is  sometimes  substituted,  and  this  again  may  easily  become 
unfit  for  the  roots,  especially  if  as  much  water  is  applied  as  Cucumber 
plants  are  supposed  to  require.  Perhaps  I  shall  be  told  that  in 
previous  remarks  on  Cucumber  culture  abundance  of  water  has  been 
considered  absolutely  necessary,  and  so  it  is  under  certain,  but  not  all 
and  sundry,  conditions. 
It  is  readily  conceded  that  the  other  extreme  of  having  shallow 
beds  or  mounds  of  soil  immediately  over  hot-water  pipes,  and  not 
givmg  enough  ol  water,  will  not  long  support  Cucumber  plants.  On 
the  contrary,  these  conditions  are  most  unfavourable,  quickly  leading 
to  an  attack  of  eelwoim  at  the  roots,  red  spider  on  the  leaves,  and  a 
general  collapse.  Bottom  beat  may  be  thought  desirable,  but  when 
it  is  both  direct  and  excessively  dry  it  may  easily  do  more  harm  ihan 
good.  I  am  under  the  imj  ression  that  market  growers  dispense  with 
bottom  heat  pipes  altogether,  depending  rather  upon  abundance  of 
top  heat,  in  particular  avoiding  low  night  temperatures.  Cucumber 
roots  apparently  must  have  abundance  of  heat,  air,  and  moisture. 
Exclude  them  frcm  either  of  these  elements  and  they  will  not  thrive. 
All  can  be  assured  easily  enough.  First,  provide  a  sufficiency  of  hot- 
water  pipes  to  maintain  a  night  temperature  of,  say,  65°  to  70° 
without  hard  firing,  increasing  5°  to  10°  in  the  daytime  with  or 
without  the  aid  of  sunshine  ;  secondly,  employ  a  porous  compost, 
commencing  with  small  heaps,  and  adding  more  as  required  ;  and 
thirdly,  apply  water  or  clear  liquid  manure  as  often  as  the  soil  is 
found  approaching  dryness,  even  if  this  does  mean  two  applications  in 
a  day. 
Where  the  bulk  of  the  hot-water  pipes  are  disposed  under  slate- 
covered  stagings,  supported  by  bricks  or  iron  pillars,  this  serves  to 
keep  the  soil  for  Cucumbers  overhead  comfortably  warm  ;  but  market 
growers  cannot  afford  such  arrangements  on  a  large  scale,  and  the 
beds  are  usually  enclosed  by  brick  walls,  the  paths  being  sunk  between 
these,  while  the  bot-v\ater  pipes  are  principally  resting  on  theso 
enclosing  walls  and  against  the  brick  sides.  In  places  where  bottom 
heat  pipes  were  at  first  provided  they  have  since  been  taken  out,  or 
else  the  heat  is  turned  off  soon  alter  the  plants  are  well  established  in 
the  soil,  owing  to  their  injurious  effects,  more  especially  as  regards 
drying  the  soil  and  encouraging  the  rapi  1  spread  of  eelworms.  It  is 
not  asserted  that  all  the  mistakes  are  made  by  private  gardeners  and 
none  by  market  growers,  but  it  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  the  latter 
class  are  the  most  ready  to  profit  by  their  own  or  oiher  people’s 
blunders.  We  all  ought  to  be  ready  to  unlearn  as  well  as  to  learn, 
one  condition  in  many  cases  being  the  precursor  to  the  other.  Thus  a 
grower  on  a  large  scale,  with  whom  I  am  acquainted,  has  at  the 
present  time  four  span-roofed  houses,  each  150  feet  long,  planttd  with 
Cucumbers  that  have  started  very  badly  indeed.  The  soil  used  was 
too  clayey,  and  not  sufficiently  prepared  for  early  Cucumbers.  He 
wid  never  repeat  this  costly  mistake.  Co  mparatively  light  fibrous 
loam,  chopped  up  roughly,  with  or  without  the  addition  of  manure  of 
any  kind,  is  suitable  for  starting  the  plants  in ;  that  is  to  say,  it  is 
sufficiently  porous  to  admit  the  warmth  and  air  into  the  centre,  and 
can  easily  be  enriched  when  this  is  thought  expedient.  If  heavy  soil 
only  is  available,  with  or  without  fibre  (and  the  latter  is  by  no  means 
indispenscble),  this  should  be  rendered  fit  for  Cucumber  roots  by  the 
free  addition  of  good  leaf  soil  and  “  burn-bake” — the  name  frequently 
given  to  the  residue  of  a  “garden  smother,”  or  smothered  fire,  that 
most  practical  gardeners  keep  going  for  weeks  together  every  autumn. 
Porosity  must  be  insured,  and  this  well-charred  refuse  is  admirably 
adapted  to  the  purpose.  Failing  leaf  soil,  substitute  Mushroom-bed 
manure  rather  than  the  more  rotten  hotbed  manure,  to  be  found  in 
most  frame  grounds  at  this  and  other  times  of  the  ye^r. 
Start  with  a  peck  of  soil  for  each  plant  rather  than  a  bushel  or 
solid  bed,  and  add  more  as  fast  as  the  compost  becomes  well  occupied 
by  roo  s.  It  this  thin  addition  of  soil  is  made  every  week  it  will  not 
entail  a  great  amount  of  labour  or  the  employment  of  much  soil,  and 
it  will  have  the  effect  of  keeping  the  roots  active  near  to  and  on  the 
surface.  When  the  sides  of  the  houses  are  glazed  more  sun  is  liable 
to  reach  the  mounds  or  ridges  of  soil  than  is  desirable,  and  a  heavy 
shading  of  limewash  should  be  applied  by  way  of  moderating  the 
sun’s  rays,  but  the  brick  sides  of  market  growers’  houses  obviate  the 
difficulty.  In  some  instances  the  exposure  is  so  great  that  a  mulch 
of  some  kind  has  to  be  applied  to  protect  the  surface  soil  and  roots, 
nothing  answering  better  or  even  so  well  as  fresh  leaf  soil,  while 
strawy  litter  is  better  than  half-rotten  manure. 
When  the  roots  of  strong  plants  that  are  expected  to  produce 
Ccucumbers  freely  are  confined  to  small  mounds  or  ridges  of  soil, 
something  stronger  than  water  must  be  given  rather  frequently.  This, 
however,  for  reasons  that  will  be  gathered  from  what  I  have  already 
given,  must  be  of  a  clear  nature.  Anything  that  will  clog  the  surface, 
such  as  thick  or  unstrained  soot  water  or  thick  farmyard  drainings,  are 
about  the  worst  kinds  of  liquid  manure  that  can  be  applied  to 
Cucumber  roots.  Clear  soot  water  is  right  enough,  and  so  is  nitrate  of 
soda  not  exceeding  one-half  ounce  to  the  gallon  of  water,  and  the  special 
manures  advertised  by  various  vendors,  whether  applied  as  directed  in 
the  form  of  occasional  soil  surfacings  and  washed  down,  or  else  dissolved, 
and  duly  diluted  with  water  and  applied,  are  equally  efficacious. 
High  temperatures  must  invariably  be  accompanied  by  abundance 
of  moisture  in  the  atmosphere,  and  it  is  in  this  direction  where  market 
growers  with  their  sunken  ash-covered  paths  have  the  advantage  over 
private  growers,  who  too  often  have  to  contend  with  brick  pits  and 
paved  floors,  that  absorb  much  of  the  moisture  from  the  atmosphere 
that  ought  to  be  available  for  the  Cucumber  plants.  On  very  bright 
days  high  temperatures  and  but  little  moisture  in  the  atmosphere 
mean  either  burning  of  the  leaves  or  a  bad  attack  of  red  spider. 
Applying  more  air  is  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty  that  Cucumber  plants 
do  not  appreciate.  A  light  shade  and  frequent  syringings  of  the 
plants,  never  allowing  the  leaves  to  become  dry,  and  surroundings,  is 
more  to  the  purpose. 
According  to  my  experience  private  gardeners  are  apt  to  keep 
their  Cucumber  plants  about  too  long.  It  is  very  creditable  doubtless 
to  be  able  to  preserve  the  plants  in  a  healthy  productive  state  all 
through  the  spring  and  summer  months,  but  I  find  it  pa>s  better  and 
is  most  satisfactory  in  the  end  to  put  out  two  or  three  successional 
batches  of  plants,  cropping  these  quickly  and  to  their  utmost  extent 
till  they  give  signs  of  failing,  by  which  time  the  successional  plants 
ought  to  be  in  readiness  to  carry  on  the  supply  of  tender,  eatable, 
wi  olesome  Cucumbers,  because  quickly  produced  by  healthy  plants. 
— W.  Iggulden. 
- o#.* - 
Fragrance. 
“  Its7  all  countries,  civilised  and  savage,  in  the  religious  festivals  of 
all  creeds,  and  upon  all  occasions  of  grief  or  rejoicing,  the  odoriferous 
properties  of  flowers,  leaves,  or  wood  have  had  an  important  signifi¬ 
cance;  whist  the  earliest  records  we  have  of  perfumes  tell  of  their 
extraction  from  fragrant  juices  or  resinous  gums,  which  exude  naturally 
or  by  incision  from  trees  and  shrubs.  The  fondness  of  the  early 
Eastern  nations  for  sweet  odours  and  perfumes  seems  to  have  been 
carried  to  almost  extravagant  excess,  and  the  antiquity  of  the  custom 
defies  research  into  its  origin.  In  hot  climates  the  use  of  fragrant  oils 
and  other  perfumes  has  always  been  a  necessity,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  adoption  of  sweet  odours  in  religious  rites  generally  had  its 
origin  in  sanitary  precautions. 
“  The  ancients,  moreover,  had  no  soap,  or  at  least  were  not  familiar 
with  its  use,  except  as  a  sort  of  pomade,  and  were  driven  therefore  to 
adopt  the  use  ot  substiiutes,  in  the  form  of  ointment  and  other  pre¬ 
parations  of  all  kinds  of  odoriferous  gums  and  resins,  and  the  custom 
is  to  this  day  carried  out  in  the  ablutions  of  the  wealthier  classes  in 
the  East  and  in  the  washing  of  tne  dead.  Their  gardens  appear  to 
have  been  chiefly  used  as  resorts  for  repose  and  indolent  recreation.  In 
th*se  retreats  the  greatest  rulers  and  warriors  found  rest  and  peace 
amidst  the  fragrant  bowers  and  aromatic  herbs  when  worn  out  with 
the  fatigues  of  their  high  position. 
“The  Jews  seem  to  be  the  oldest  nation  to  have  taken  the  lullest 
advantage  of  the  great  opportunities  they  had  for  obtaining  a 
knowledge  of  plants,  and  many  are  the  references  recorded  of  the 
fragrant  trees  from  which  they  produced  cooling  fruits  to  allay  thirst* 
odorous  herbs  to  give  tone  to  the  system,  and  aromatic  substances  for 
embalming  the  dead. 
“  Both  Persia  and  Egypt  appear  to  have  continued  the  customs  in 
an  intensified  degree,  for  not  only  do  they  still  wash  the  bodies  of 
their  dead  with  fragrant  oi  s,  but  the  funeral  pyre  ofttimes  consists  of 
aromatic  herbs  and  branches  of  trees  that  give  off  terebenthinat® 
odours.” — ( From  an  Essay  by  D.  McD.). 
