The Monmouth Inquirer

GOOD PROFITS
In the Pickling of Cucumbers as a Winter Crop.

Forcing vegetables under glass in winter has been abundantly proved to be profitable. On account of the great competition in producing pickling cucumbers in summer, and because they are not generally grown in winter, I believe good profits are open to those who will successfully produce them under glass. The prices realized in winter will be larger than in summer, and the production in a forty-foot greenhouse will, with proper cultivation, exceed that of a quarter acre cultivated in summer. The gherkin is more productive than the English cucumber, and the exhaustion of the vines is less because the crop is gathered when the fruit is quite small.

A narrow commercial greenhouse with benches on each side and an even span roof is the proper structure for the purpose. The benches should be ten inches in depth and three or four feet wide: here one line of plants, two feet apart is sufficient, and light wire strung across the house from the gutter beam to the ridge, and down again to the opposite gutter beam will serve as a frame for the vines. The wires twelve inches apart should be twelve inches from the glass at each side, and eighteen inches in the centre.

The proper soil is a rich sandy loam from an old pasture, one part to three of well-rotted manure, and one part to twelve of crushed bones, quarter-inch size, all to be well mixed together. On the bottom of the benches place three inches of well-rotted manure, pounded down firmly, and on this manure make hills two feet apart and even with the top of benches, using the prepared soil and also covering the manure to about one inch with the same. The house will then be ready to receive the plants.

For early winter use seed is to be sown early in September. The plants may be raised either in a covered frame, or in the house where they are to be grown. For starting the plants have some finely-sifted soil, sowing the seeds in three-inch pots, first placing in the bottom of each pot the well-rotted manure. Fill the pots one-third up with the prepared soil, sow three seeds in each pot, cover with soil, and plunge to the rim in a covered frame or in a sheltered part of the green-house leaving them there until the seedlings are ready for repotting, and giving no water until all the seeds are above ground.

As soon as the seedlings show the rough (true) leaves, they are ready for repotting. Each plant should now be repotted singly in a three-inch pot in the same way as when sowing the seed, plunging each pot to the rim to remain thus for two weeks when it will be ready for planting in the permanent quarters. After repotting, the plants should be watered with a fine sprinkler once every day until established.