Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-08-27
The Culture of Cucumbers.

The common method among farmers in
planting cucumber, melon and squash
seeds is to dig deep hole, partially fill
with barn-yard manure, pile the dirt on
this, forming a hill four to six inches
above the surface, and plant on that All
this is instructed and worse than useless
labor. Cucumbers and melons enjoy rich
soil, but they do not want the richness
buried so deeply in the ground that their
roots cannot reach it until after midsum-
mer. They do not do so we'll on an ele.
waited seedbed as OF level ground and if
good drainage were afforded we should pre-
fer to plant the seeds rather below than
above the level of the surrounding sur
face, that rains might run toward the
plant rather than from it. The large
amount of heating manure beneath the
hill makes the surface dry all the more
rapidly, and this is especially true when
1t is rounded up several inches higher
than the adjoining ground. Seeds thus
planted may do we'll very early in the
spring, but will wither and dry out by mid
summer. Our own experience has
been that manure should be we'll
composted, thoroughly mixed with
the soil to the depth of four or
i've inches, and the seed-bed kept as
near the level of the ground as possible.
For late cucumbers and melons we have
often planted without using any manure,
relying on applications of liquid manure
after the plants came up. Solid manure
even in contact with the roots cannot help
the plant unless there is water enough to
make some parts soluble, and sometimes
we shall have two or three weeks in mid.
summer without any rain. In such cases
vines quickly dry up and become an easy
prey TO insect enemies. The best way to
manure melons or other vines is by ma
nure water, made strong and placed in di-
rect contact with the roots. We have never
known 1t to be strong enough to injure the
plants, and it always gave luxuriance of
growth that would do any one good to be-
hold. 1t can be thrown directly over the
vines, drenching them and soaking down
to the roots; but a much better way is to
carefully remove the surface soil from
around the roots, pour in the manure
water, and after it has soaked in the ground
replace the surface soil, which thus acts
as mulch. This plan secures the bene-
fit of hOeing and manuring at the same
time. Or deep holes can be punched
into the soil with a hoe-handle and
manure water turned into these until they
are filled. The water and manure will
spread in every direction and the roots
will speedily reach their food. This is an
excellent plan where unrotted stable ma
nure ha beenSburied under a hill early in
the season and is now probably suffering
from lack of moisture. The manure water
will set the mass to heating and at the
same time furnish sufficient moisture for
the roots, causing a most vigorous growth.
In all cases water for plants should be as
warm as the air at the time, and considera-
bly, warmer would be still better. On no
account should tender plants be drenched
at any time with water newly-drawn from
deep wells or cold cisterns and springs.
If you use such water let it stand in the
sun at least one day to become warm as
possible before applying. Many people
drench their melon vines with cold water
from the we'll the ground is packed hard
by the water poured on it, the plants are
chilled, turn sickly and die, and then the
wonder is that they do not do we'll. Bet
ter let your vines go with no watering than
give them such treatment as this.-Rural
Nelo Yorker.