suppose that, by the 1st of June, six fine cucumber-plants are ready, and the earth within the frame raised to a genial temperature; rather moist, but perfectly free and open, insomuch that it will pulverize freely under the hand. This bed is covered with a three-light frame, each light being three feet four inches in breadth.

In the first place draw a little of the earth together, exactly under the centre of each light, and form a sort of flat hill or ridge, a foot wide, and raised about three inches above the common level. Thus there will be three elevated masses of earth within the frame. Turn out two plants, by striking the rims of the pots gently against the edge of the frame, and protecting the balls with the fingers. Form two holes large enough to admit the entire balls, and so deep as to let the stems sink an inch below the surface of the earth. Two plants are to be set in each space, six inches asunder, in a line from the back to the front of the frame. Draw earth round the balls; work and press it carefully and compactly with the fingers, without disturbing the ball of roots. Give water, (the chill off,) over the surface of the hill, but not over the plant; and in quantity sufficient to reach to the depth of the roots. One hill being planted, proceed in the same manner to plant the two other hills. Then close the lights; shade with a mat during the power of the sun; and cover the beds with double mats, secured by boards, or with single mats, and a set of boards over the entire surface of glass.

Nothing forms so effectual a covering as good three-quarter-inch pine boards, saturated with coal tar; a common plank, three inches thick, eleven inches wide, and about six feet long, will cut up into four boards, and cost about 4s. Being tarred, they remain sound during many years; and to prevent accidents from wind, nothing more is required than to fasten and stretch a cord tightly across the boards, lengthways of the frame, or pit, about two feet from the back of it. Two cords would, of course, afford increased protection.

Stopping. At this genial season the plants will thrive rapidly; they may be stopped, for the first time, at the second joint, above the seed leaves, or be permitted to produce four clear joints before the central bud be pinched off. Strength of plant will soon be gained; and after a second stopping, at two or three joints beyond the origin of each lateral or secondary shoot, fruit will be yielded in abundance. A re-practice of stopping just above every fruit might prove most productive; but in this summer process of mere protection it needs not be insisted on. Free admission of air during bright sunshine, water around the hills, but not close to the stems or over the leaves, and warm covering after sunset, till the summer-night temperature be established,-will secure the health and rapid progress of the plants. Decaying leaves and weakly shoots should be removed; the vines, if they extend beyond the limited space, must be

cut back; and if the plants be infested with aphis or thrips, a thorough fumigation of tobacco smoke must be given.

Forcing. The experienced gardener will perceive that this protective system may be converted into a process of forcing, if a hot-bed and linings be applied; but I do not favour the method of raising the cucumber by means of a dung-bed. In lieu of it I shall refer to the practice of a very able gardener, as I find it detailed in the tenth volume of the Gardeners' Magazine; and I have pleasure in thus evincing the respect I entertain for his skill and ability, of which I have witnessed many proofs.

Forcing in brick pigeon-holed pits.-The plan exhibits portions of a range, which may have any number of lights:-aa are nine-inch walls,

which surround the pits and the spaces bb, designed to receive the linings of hot stable-dung. These walls, as seen in the section (2), are three feet high; the spaces, b, are two feet wide. The pits are furnished with double walls; the outside wall is of four-inch brick-work, pigeon-holed all round to the height of five courses from the base, (see section 2). The inner walls are built brick on edge, worked solid, excepting one row of pigeonholes, at the bottom course, left for drainage. This inner wall must be brought up one course higher than the pigeon-holes in the four-inch, or

outer wall; and by covering the cavity between this and the outer wall with a double layer of plain six-inch tiles, it forms a flue, back and front. The plane tiles require to be double, because the centre of each tile which finishes the flue must be firmly bedded in mortar, over the joints of those first laid: this is essential, as the flues must be steam-tight. By means of this arrangement "the violent bottom-heat from the linings, which is the bane of all forcing, is moderated; and, as much of the heat is transmitted through the tiles, it diffuses a mild and genial warmth, which is circulated among the plants, without incurring any danger of too much heat among the roots."

The centre of the pits is filled entirely with mould, as high as the flues, except about six inches of fresh turf, chopped to pieces with the spade, to be put into the bottom for drainage. In warm weather the linings need not be higher than the outer walls, but in very cold weather they should be kept up nearly to the level of the lights, and then be covered with dry straw or fern. Between every set of lights, three being a set, there is an open space, twelve to fifteen inches wide. The dung in these openings, (c,) when once put in, is not to be turned like that of the linings; for as the walls are pigeon-holed, but without flues at the ends, the roots will work through, and receive much nourishment from the dung in the openings, when it is decayed. These alleys are likewise serviceable in cold or damp weather, as they afford the opportunity of topping up all round with fresh dung.

This is an abbreviation of an article upon the culture of the cucumber by Mr. Patrick, (Gardeners' Magazine, vol. x. p. 386.) I know the range of pits, which, though narrow, are extremely efficient and commodious, not only for the forcing of cucumbers, but of the Persian melon and pine-apple. I shall advert to it in the notice of the pine; but now need only observe that the pits, when used for the cucumber or melon, are furnished with a trellis; upon which the vines of the plants expand themselves from one long central stem, exposing their foliage and fruit to the sun, not far below the glass. Thus, much danger from damp and the attacks of vermin is obviated.

By stopping and treating the plants according to the direction of M'Phael, the finest fruit may be procured in ample abundance. The seeds should be sown in August and September if cucumbers be required in March and April, and thence later, according to the time when fruit is wanted, till the season arrive for adopting the protective culture first described.

Culture in the Stove.-They who have perused the article on the culture of the cucumber in pots by Mr. Aiton, of the Royal Gardens, will not hesitate to admit the feasibility of the method which will now be described as concisely as may be consistent with perspicuity.

It will not be too much to assert that the cucumber can be grown, in great perfection, either in the pine-stove, or in pits and small houses erected for the express purpose. Mr. Knight's Persian melon-house is well adapted to the purpose; and this will, in due place, be described and figured.

In the Royal Gardens, Mr. Aiton tells us that cucumbers were required throughout the winter: the seeds were "sowed on the 12th and 20th of August, and raised on a well-prepared one-light hot-bed. When the seed-leaves became nearly of full growth the plants were potted out, two into each pot, known by the name of upright thirty-twos. When these pots became filled with roots, the plants were again shifted into sixteens, and removed from the seed-bed into a three-light frame, with a sufficient bottom-heat to allow a considerable portion of air to be given day and night. Finally, they were removed to pots containing three pecks of earth, and transferred to the stove in September."

I propose to modify this plan, and to apply it exclusively to spring culture.

Let the seeds of any prolific cucumber be sown in January, and treated in the way already described; only at each potting the plants should be placed deep, and the stems moulded up gradually; not in the first instance, but when the roots are seen creeping on the surface. Three removes will thus bring the plants into their fruiting-pots.

I inspected a set of plants in May, 1836, which then had been in full bearing three months, and continued to produce in regular succession. They were growing in a pine-slip, in pots from twelve to fourteen inches wide at top, and of about the same depth. One set of them was ranged on the back curb of the pit; another on a strong shelf, fixed against the wall of the house; both ranged about thirty inches below the glass. The plants were short and stocky, being closely stopped. Each supported two cucumbers; one of a size for cutting, another small and just swelling. This order was provided for as nearly as possible, and by it the powers of the plant were not too severely tasked.

In my experiments I have employed pots sixteen inches deep by twelve wide; and these I have plunged to half their depth in a trough of mould, eighteen inches deep, training the stems perpendicularly four feet, till they reached a wire trellis ten inches below the glass; at which the plants were stopped the second time, to produce fruiting shoots for training horizontally upon the wires.

Soil.-None can exceed the reduced roots of couch-grass, collected from fields of light but mellow loam, and kept for four or five years. Mr. Aiton's soil, used at Kew, consisted of light loam, "a few months from the common," one-third part; of the best rotten dung, one-third; of leaf mould and heath soil, equal parts, making together one-third part.

Stopping. If there be sufficient height, the plants may grow a yard or more before they are stopped to produce a single stem; but if there be little height, and a trough be not employed, early stopping, to form short, stocky plants, should be adopted. By whatever method fruit is developed, M'Phael's directions for the subsequent management of the shoots should be kept in view. I have thus brought from four to seven fine fruit to perfection on one plant, trained on the trellis of the stove; but short plants must be restricted to two fruits, one under the other, as before shown. I have tried the power of my plants to the utmost, making extent of growth and profusion of foliage to supply an increased number of fruit; but in ordinary practice, wherein the plants will be trained upright to a trellis, the laterals produced by stopping the main shoot, being led horizontally, the fruitful shoots are to be securely fastened by twisted shreds of moistened bass. The advancing fruit may then be allowed to hang by its footstalk, without any constraint. One only should take the lead; and with the increasing power of the sun, a moderate supply of moisture, and a free admission of air during the greatest power of the sun, it will make rapid progress. When one fruit is cut, a second will enlarge, and in the mean time another may be permitted to advance; thus keeping up a regular succession. Perhaps three or four fruit may show at the same time; but two only should be left on, and the others pinched off, and with them the leading buds; leaving the embryo shoots to become fruit-bearing laterals.

If there be no head-room, the plants must be rendered bushy, and be tied to stakes fastened round the sides of the pots.

It is astonishing what an immense quantity of fruit will be yielded by the plants thus prepared, provided the supply of heat, air, sunlight, and water, be apportioned with scientific precision. Water is of great consequence; the soil should be supplied so as to keep the soil gently moist throughout. Shading is sometimes very necessary. Manure-water is sometimes useful; it can be made by pouring a gallon of boiling water upon a small shovel of pigeons' or sheeps' dung, with an ounce or two of lime; and, after beating the whole to mix the materials thoroughly, diluting the fluid with four gallons of rain, or soft pond-water. When used, the liquid is to be stirred up, and applied to the extent of a quart or more to each pot, once a week; then, washing the manure into the body of the soil by pouring clear water upon the surface till some of it run through the holes of the pots.

The question of the utility of manure-water is still somewhat ambigu

I therefore recommend a weakened application, preferring to leave the results to the observation of the cultivator, rather than to lay down prescriptive rules; for it is certain that, however a person may endeavour to conform to directions for preparing manures or compost soils, he can