CUCUMBER. c umis sativus. This plant, although possessing but little nutriment, is uni versally cultivated, where it will mature in the open air, and is largely raised, wholly under glass, where it will not mature. In all northern coun tries it is forced in advance of the natural season by gardeners. It is a tender annual plant, a native of the tropics, and supposed, originally, to have been brought from the East Indies. The varieties are all creeping, or running vines, hold ing themselves secure by means of tendrils. The seeds should not be planted in the open air until the ground becomes permanently warm, or about the time that corn is raising the soil. The plants require a distance of five to six feet each way, not more than three plants being allowed to remain permanently in each hill. From ten to twenty seeds should be scattered in each broad hill, and the plants thinned when all danger from cut worms, striped beetles, and other insects have passed. For pickling cucumbers, the seeds are planted from June fifteenth to July first in the North. The vines will come into full bearing about the middle of August, and continue until frost. In the cultivation of cucumbers, we have always had the best success by opening furrows six feet apart, filling with half rotted manure, and then plowing the soil back in regular ridges. With a two-horse plow we then strike
furrows across the ridges, six feet apart, and at the crown of the ridge, in the cross furrow, throw a shovelful of compost manure. Over this a slight hill is formed and the seed planted, covering them about two inches. The subsequent cultiva tion can be principally done with the plow, except weeding the hills and thinning. The varieties used generally for slicing fresh, are Long Green, and White Spine. There are a number of long fancy varieties. When fresh they are easily digested, but otherwise are an unwholesome arti cle of diet. The English people prize these sorts. Some of them are two feet long. In the United States the long, fancy varieties are not cul tivated except as a curiosity. The principal vari eties used for pickling, are Early Frame and Short Prickly. Near cities the raising of cucum bers, for pickling, is an important industry, fields -of twenty to forty acres being not uncommon.