the last week of May, and the plants will produce fruit until the chill
of autumn makes an end of them, and the house is again required for the
greenhouse plants.

==Winter Cucumbers== thrive best in lean-to houses with somewhat steep
roofs, as such houses are less liable to chill during cold windy
weather, and they catch a maximum of the winter sunshine. In a mild
winter, Cucumbers may be grown in any kind of house that can be
maintained at a suitable temperature, and the markets are supplied from
rough constructions that do duty for many purposes. But in hard weather,
the steep lean-to, with bed along the front, and tank to give equable
bottom heat, will prove the most serviceable, as it will neither allow
snow to lodge on the glass, nor suffer any serious decline of
temperature during the prevalence of sharp frost and keen winds. For
late autumn supply any kind of house will suffice, but best of all an
airy span. A brick pit will answer every purpose from October to March
with good management, and fermenting materials will afford the needful
heat. In such cases trenches should be provided for occasional renewal
of the bottom heat. But a roomy house and a service of hot water justly
stand in favour with experienced cultivators, as combining the necessary
conditions with convenience of management.

For winter culture, plants are raised from seeds and from cuttings.
Seedling plants are the most vigorous, but they require a little more
time than cuttings to arrive at a fruiting state. For pot culture
cuttings are preferable, as only a moderate crop is expected, and
quickness of production is of great importance. It is usual to sow the
first lot of seeds on the 1st of September, and to sow again on the 1st
of October and the 1st of November; after which it is not advisable to
sow again until the 1st of February for the spring crop. If the
management is good, the first sowing will be in fruit by the time the
third batch of seed is sown, say, by the first week of November, and
thenceforward throughout the winter there should be no break in the
supply.

The management of Winter Cucumbers turns upon details chiefly, and will
be found in the end to depend rather upon care than skill. The general
principles are the same as in growing Cucumbers in frames, the task for
the cultivator being to carry them out successfully. Begin by sowing the
seed singly in small pots in light turfy loam, or peat with which a fair
proportion of