Chapter IV: Cucurbitaceous Plants (2)

Plant hardy and vigorous, not distinguishable from that of the Common Yellow variety; fruit oval, much elongated, the length usually about twice the diameter; size large,--well-grown specimens measuring sixteen to twenty inches in length, and nine or ten inches in diameter; surface somewhat ribbed, but with the markings less distinct than those of the Common Yellow; color bright orange-yellow; skin of moderate thickness, generally easily broken by the nail; flesh about an inch and a half in thickness, yellow, of good but not fine quality, usually sweet, but watery, and of no great value for the table.

It is very hardy and productive; well adapted for planting among corn or potatoes; may be profitably raised for feeding out to stock; keeps well when properly stored; and selected specimens will afford a tolerable substitute for the Squash in the kitchen, particularly for pies.

Between this and the Common Yellow, there are various intermediate sorts; and, as they readily hybridize with each other, it is with difficulty that these varieties can be preserved in a pure state. Only one of the sorts should be cultivated, unless there is sufficient territory to enable the cultivator to allow a large distance between the fields where the different varieties are grown.

NANTUCKET.

Hard-shell. "Nigger-head."

Form flattened or depressed, but sometimes oblong or bell-shaped, often faintly ribbed; size medium or rather small; color deep-green, somewhat mellowed by exposure to the sun, or at full maturity; skin or shell thick and hard, and more or less thickly covered with prominent, wart-like excrescences; flesh comparatively thick, yellow, sweet, fine-grained, and of excellent flavor,--comparing favorably in all respects with that of the Sugar Pumpkin. It is a productive sort, and its flesh much dryer and more sugary than the peculiar, green, and warty appearance of the fruit would indicate. When cooked, it should be divided into pieces of convenient size; the seeds, and loose, stringy parts, removed from the inner surface of the flesh, and then boiled or baked in the skin or shell; afterwards scooping out the flesh, as is practised with the Hubbard Squash or other hard-shelled varieties of pumpkins. It is an excellent pie-variety, and selected specimens will be found of good quality when served as squash at the table. It will keep till February or March.

STRIPED FIELD PUMPKIN.

Habit of the plant, and form of the fruit, very similar to the Common Yellow Field Pumpkin. The size, however, will average less; although specimens may sometimes be procured as large as the dimension given for the Common Yellow. Color yellow, striped and variegated with green,--after being gathered, the green becomes gradually softer and paler, and the yellow deeper; flesh yellow, moderately thick, and, though by some considered of superior quality, has not the fine, dry, and well-flavored character essential for table use; seeds similar to the foregoing sorts.

The Striped Field Pumpkin is a hardy sort, and yields well. It is, however, exceedingly liable to hybridize with all the varieties of the family, and is with difficulty preserved in an unmixed condition. It should be grown as far apart as possible from all others, especially when the seed raised is designed for sale or for reproduction at home.

SUGAR-PUMPKIN.

Small Sugar-pumpkin.

Plant similar in its character and general appearance to the Common Field Pumpkin; fruit small, eight or nine inches at its broadest diameter, and about six inches in depth; form much depressed, usually broadest near the middle, and more or less distinctly ribbed; skin bright orange-yellow when the fruit is well ripened, hard, and shell-like, and not easily broken by the nail; stem quite long, greenish, furrowed, and somewhat reticulated; flesh of good thickness, light-yellow, very fine-grained, sweet, and well flavored; seeds of smaller size than, but in other respects similar to, those of the Field Pumpkin. The variety is the smallest of the sorts usually employed for field cultivation. It is, however, a most abundant bearer, rarely fails in maturing its crops perfectly, is of first-rate quality, and may be justly styled an acquisition. For pies, it is not surpassed by any of the family; and it is superior for table use to many of the garden squashes. The facility with which it hybridizes or mixes with other kinds renders it extremely difficult to keep the variety pure; the tendency being to increase in size, to grow longer or deeper, and to become warty: either of which conditions may be considered an infallible evidence of deterioration.

Varieties sometimes occur more or less marbled and spotted with green; the green, however, often changing to yellow after harvesting.

* * * * *

SNAKE OR SERPENT CUCUMBER.

Cucumis flexuosus.

Though generally considered as a species of cucumber, this plant should properly be classed with the melons. In its manner of growth, foliage, flowering, and in the odor and taste of the ripened fruit, it strongly resembles the musk-melon. The fruit is slender and flexuous; frequently measures more than three feet in length; and is often gracefully coiled or folded in a serpent-like form. The skin is green; the flesh, while the fruit is forming, is greenish-white,--at maturity, yellow; the seeds are yellowish-white, oval, flattened, often twisted or contorted like those of some varieties of melons, and retain their vitality five years.

_Planting and Cultivation._--The seeds should be planted in May, in hills six feet apart. Cover half an inch deep, and allow three plants to a hill.

_Use._--The fruit is sometimes pickled in the manner of the Common Cucumber, but is seldom served at table sliced in its crude state. It is generally cultivated on account of its serpent-like form, rather than for its value as an esculent.

Well-grown specimens are quite attractive; and, as curious vegetable productions, contribute to the interest and variety of horticultural exhibitions.

* * * * *

THE SQUASH.

All the varieties are tender annuals, and of tropical origin. They only thrive well in a warm temperature: and the seed should not be sown in spring until all danger from frost is past, and the ground is warm and thoroughly settled; as, aside from the tender nature of the plant, the seed is extremely liable to rot in the ground in continued damp and cold weather.

Any good, well-enriched soil is adapted to the growth of the Squash. The hills should be made from eight to ten inches in depth, two feet in diameter, and then filled within three or four inches of the surface with well-digested compost; afterwards adding sufficient fine loam to raise the hill an inch or two above the surrounding level. On this, plant twelve or fifteen seeds; covering about three-fourths of an inch deep. Keep the earth about the plants loose and clean; and from time to time remove the surplus vines, leaving the most stocky and vigorous. Three plants are sufficient for a hill; to which number the hills should ultimately be thinned, making the final thinning when all danger from bugs and other vermin is past. The dwarfs may be planted four feet apart; but the running sorts should not be less than six or eight. The custom of cutting or nipping off the leading shoot of the running varieties is now practised to some extent, with the impression that it both facilitates the formation of fruitful laterals and the early maturing of the fruit. Whether the amount of product is increased by the process, is not yet determined.

In giving the following descriptions, no attempt has been made to present them under scientific divisions; but they have been arranged as they are in this country popularly understood:--

_Summer Varieties._--

APPLE SQUASH.

Early Apple.

Plant running, not of stocky habit, but healthy and vigorous; fruit obtusely conical, three inches broad at the stem, and two inches and a half in depth; skin yellowish-white, thin and tender while the fruit is young, hard and shell-like when ripe; flesh dry and well flavored in its green state, and often of good quality at full maturity.

The fruit is comparatively small; and, on this account, the variety is very little cultivated.

BUSH SUMMER WARTED CROOKNECK.

Early Summer Crookneck. Yellow Summer Warted Crookneck. Cucurbita verrucosa.

Plant dwarfish or bushy in habit, generally about two feet and a half in height or length; fruit largest at the blossom-end, and tapering gradually to a neck, which is solid, and more or less curved; size medium,--average specimens, when suitable for use, measuring about eight inches in length, and three inches in diameter at the broadest part; the neck is usually about two inches in thickness; color clear, bright-yellow; skin very warty, thin, and easily broken by the nail while the fruit is young, and suitable for use,--as the season of maturity approaches, the rind gradually becomes firmer, and, when fully ripe, is very hard and shell-like; flesh greenish-yellow, dry, and well flavored; seeds comparatively small, broad in proportion to the length, and of a pale-yellow color. About four hundred are contained in an ounce.

The Bush Summer Crookneck is generally esteemed the finest of the summer varieties. It is used only while young and tender, or when the skin can be easily pierced or broken by the nail. After the fruit hardens, the flesh becomes watery, coarse, strong flavored, and unfit for table use.

On account of the dwarfish character of the plants, the hills may be made four feet apart. Three plants will be sufficient for a hill.

EARLY WHITE BUSH SCOLLOPED.

White Pattypan. Cymbling. White Summer Scolloped. Pattison Blanc. _Vil._

This is a sub-variety of the Early Yellow Bush Scolloped. The plant has the same dwarf habit, and the fruit is nearly of the same size and form. The principal distinction between the varieties consists in the difference of color.

By some, the white variety is considered a little inferior in fineness of texture and in flavor to the yellow; though the white is much the more abundant in the markets. Both of the varieties are hardy and productive; and there is but little difference in the season of their maturity.

In the month of June, large quantities are shipped from the Southern and Middle States to the North and East, where they anticipate from two to three weeks the products of the home-market gardens; the facilities afforded by steam transportation rendering nearly profitless the efforts of gardeners to obtain an early crop. As the variety keeps well, and suffers little from transportation, the squashes are generally found fresh and in good order on their arrival.

EARLY YELLOW BUSH SCOLLOPED.

Cymbling. Pattypan. Yellow Summer Scollop.

Plant dwarf, of rather erect habit, and about two feet and a half in height; leaves large, clear-green; fruit somewhat of a hemispherical form, expanded at the edge, which is deeply and very regularly scolloped. When suitable for use, it measures about five inches in diameter, and three inches in depth; but, when fully matured, the diameter is often ten or twelve inches, and even upwards. Color yellow; skin, while young, thin, and easily pierced,--at maturity, hard and shell-like; flesh pale-yellow, tolerably fine-grained, and well flavored,--not, however, quite so dry and sweet as that of the Summer Crookneck; seeds broader in proportion to their length than the seeds of most varieties, and of comparatively small size. Four hundred and twenty-five weigh an ounce.

This variety has been common to the gardens of this country for upwards of a century; during which period, the form and general character have been very slightly, if at all, changed. When grown in the vicinity of the Bush Summer Crookneck, the surface sometimes exhibits the same wart-like excrescences; but there is little difficulty in procuring seeds that will prove true to the description above given.

Like the Summer Crookneck, the scolloped squashes are used while young or in a green state. After the hardening of the skin, or shell, the flesh generally becomes coarse, watery, strong-flavored, and unfit for the table.

The hills should be made about four feet apart, and three plants allowed to a hill. Season from the beginning of July to the middle or last of August.

EGG-SQUASH.

Cucurbita ovifera.

An ornamental variety, generally cultivated for its peculiar, egg-like fruit, which usually measures about three inches in length, and two inches or two and a half in diameter. Skin, or shell, white. It is seldom used as an esculent; though, in its young state, the flesh is quite similar in flavor and texture to that of the scolloped varieties. "If trained to a trellis, or when allowed to cover a dry, branching tree, it is quite ornamental; and, in its ripened state, is quite interesting, and attractive at public exhibitions." Increase of size indicates mixture or deterioration.

"It has been generally supposed, that the Egg-squash was a native of Astrachan, in Tartary. Dr. Loroche included it in a list of plants not natives of Astrachan, but cultivated only in gardens where it is associated with such exotics as Indian corn, or maize, with which it was probably introduced directly or indirectly from America. We also learn from Loroche that this species varied in form, being sometimes pear-shaped; that it was sometimes variegated in color with green and white, and the shell served instead of boxes. Here we have plainly indicated the little gourd-like, hard-shelled, and variegated squashes that are often cultivated as ornamental plants.

"From these and similar authorities, it is evident that summer squashes were originally natives of America, where so many of them were found in use by the Indians, when the country began to be settled by Europeans."--_Dr. T. W. Harris, in Pennsylvania Farm Journal._

GREEN BUSH SCOLLOPED.

Pattison Vert. _Vil._

Fruit similar in size and form to the Yellow or White Bush Scolloped; skin or shell bottle-green, marbled or clouded with shades of lighter green. It is comparatively of poor quality, and is little cultivated.

GREEN-STRIPED BERGEN.

"Plant dwarf, but of strong and vigorous habit; fruit of small size, bell-shaped; colors dark-green and white, striped.

"An early but not productive sort, little cultivated at the North or East, but grown to a considerable extent for the New-York market. It is eaten both while green and when fully ripe."

LARGE SUMMER WARTED CROOKNECK.

A large variety of the Bush or Dwarf Summer Crookneck. Plant twelve feet and upwards in length, running; fruit of the form of the last named, but of much greater proportions,--sometimes attaining a length of nearly two feet; skin clear, bright yellow, and thickly covered with the prominent wart-like excrescences peculiar to the varieties; flesh greenish-yellow, and of coarser texture than that of the Dwarf Summer Crookneck. Hardy and very productive. The hills should be made six feet apart.

ORANGE.

Cucurbita aurantiaca.

Fruit of the size, form, and color of an orange. Though generally cultivated for ornament, and considered more curious than useful, "some of them are the very best of the summer squashes for table use; far superior to either the scolloped or warted varieties." When trained as directed for the Egg-squash, it is equally showy and attractive.

VARIEGATED BUSH SCOLLOPED.

Pattison Panaché. _Vil._

Pale yellow, or nearly white, variegated with green. Very handsome, but of inferior quality.

_Autumn and Winter Varieties._--

AUTUMNAL MARROW. _J. M. Ives._

Boston Marrow. Courge de l'Ohio. _Vil._

Plant twelve feet or more in length, moderately vigorous; fruit ovoid, pointed at the extremities, eight or nine inches in length, and seven inches in diameter; stem very large, fleshy, and contracted a little at its junction with the fruit,--the summit, or blossom-end, often tipped with a small nipple or wart-like excrescence; skin remarkably thin, easily bruised or broken, cream-yellow at the time of ripening, but changing to red after harvesting, or by remaining on the plants after full maturity; flesh rich, salmon-yellow, remarkably dry, fine-grained, and, in sweetness and excellence, surpassed by few varieties. The seeds are large, thick, and pure white: the surface, in appearance and to the touch, resembles glove-leather or dressed goat-skin. About one hundred are contained in an ounce.

In favorable seasons, the Autumnal Marrow Squash will be sufficiently grown for use early in August; and, if kept from cold and dampness, may be preserved till March.

Mr. John M. Ives, of Salem, who was awarded a piece of silver plate by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for the introduction of this valuable variety, has furnished the following statement relative to its origin and dissemination:--

SALEM, MASS., Feb. 7, 1858.

DEAR SIR,--As requested, I forward you a few facts relative to the
introduction of the Autumnal Marrow Squash, the cultivation of
which has extended not only over our entire country, but throughout
Europe. It succeeds better in England than the Crooknecks; and may
be seen in great abundance every season at Covent-Garden Market, in
London.

Early in the spring of 1831, a friend of mine from Northampton, in
this State, brought to my grounds a specimen of this vegetable, of
five or six pounds' weight, which he called "Vegetable Marrow." As
it bore no resemblance to the true Vegetable Marrow, either in its
form or color, I planted the seeds, and was successful in raising
eight or ten specimens. Finding it a superior vegetable, with a
skin as thin as the inner envelope of an egg, and the flesh of fine
texture, and also that it was in eating early in the fall, I
ventured to call it "Autumnal Marrow Squash." Soon a drawing was
made, and forwarded, with a description, to the "Horticultural
Register" of Fessenden, and also to the "New-England Farmer."

In cultivating this vegetable, I found the fruit to average from
eight to nine pounds, particularly if grown on newly broken-up sod
or grass land. From its facility in hybridizing with the tribe of
pumpkins, I consider it to be, properly speaking, a fine-grained
pumpkin. The first indication of deterioration or mixture will be
manifested in the thickening of the skin, or by a green circle or
coloring of green at the blossom-end.

More recently, I have been informed, by the gentleman to whom I was
indebted for the first specimen, that the seeds came originally
from Buffalo, N.Y., where they were supposed to have been
introduced by a tribe of Indians, who were accustomed to visit that
city in the spring of the year. I have not been able to trace it
beyond this. It is, unquestionably, an accidental hybrid.

Yours truly,
JOHN M. IVES.

Mr. F. BURR, Jun.

CANADA CROOKNECK.

The plants of this variety are similar in habit to those of the Common Winter Crookneck; but the foliage is smaller, and the growth less luxuriant. In point of size, the Canada Crookneck is the smallest of its class. When the variety is unmixed, the weight seldom exceeds five or six pounds. It is sometimes bottle-formed; but the neck is generally small, solid, and curved in the form of the Large Winter Crooknecks. The seeds are contained at the blossom-end, which expands somewhat abruptly, and is often slightly ribbed. Skin of moderate thickness, and easily pierced by the nail; color, when fully ripened, cream-yellow, but, if long kept, becoming duller and darker; flesh salmon-red, very close-grained, dry, sweet, and fine-flavored; seeds comparatively small, of a grayish or dull-white color, with a rough and uneven yellowish-brown border; three hundred are contained in an ounce.

The Canada is unquestionably the best of the Crooknecked sorts. The vines are remarkably hardy and prolific; yielding almost a certain crop both North and South. The variety ripens early; the plants suffer but little from the depredations of bugs or worms; and the fruit, with trifling care, may be preserved throughout the year. It is also quite uniform in quality; being seldom of the coarse and stringy character so common to other varieties of this class.

CASHEW.

Cushaw Pumpkin.

Somewhat of the form and color of the Common Winter Crookneck. Two prominent varieties, however, occur. The first is nearly round; the other curved, or of the shape of a hunter's horn. The latter is the most desirable. It is not cultivated or generally known in New England or in the northern portions of the United States; for though well suited to Louisiana and other portions of the South, where it is much esteemed, it is evidently too tender for cultivation where the seasons are comparatively short and cool.

In an experimental trial by the late Dr. Harris, specimens raised from seed received from New Jersey "did not ripen well, and many decayed before half ripe."

The Crooknecks of New England "may be distinguished from the Cashew by the want of a persistent style, and by their furrowed and club-shaped fruit-stems."

COCOA-NUT SQUASH.

Cocoa Squash.

Fruit oval, elongated, sixteen to twenty inches in length, eight or ten inches in diameter, and weighing from fifteen to twenty pounds and upwards; skin thin, easily pierced or broken, of an ash-gray color, spotted, and marked with light drab and nankeen-brown,--the furrows dividing the ribs light drab; stem small; flesh deep orange-yellow, of medium thickness; seeds pure white, broader in proportion to their length than those of the Hubbard or Boston Marrow.

The quality of the Cocoa-nut Squash is extremely variable. Sometimes the flesh is fine-grained, dry, sweet, and of a rich, nut-like flavor; but well-developed and apparently well-matured specimens are often coarse, fibrous, watery, and unfit for table use. The variety ripens in September, and will keep till March or April.

CUSTARD SQUASH.

Plant healthy and of vigorous habit, often twenty feet and upwards in length; fruit oblong, gathered in deep folds or wrinkles at the stem, near which it is the smallest, abruptly shortened at the opposite extremity, prominently marked by large, rounded, lengthwise elevations, and corresponding deep furrows, or depressions; skin, or shell, cream-white; flesh pale-yellow, not remarkable for solidity, or fineness of texture, but well flavored; the seeds are yellowish-white, and readily distinguished from those of other varieties by their long and narrow form. Under favorable conditions of soil and season, the Custard Squash attains a large size; often measuring twenty inches and upwards in length, eight or ten inches in diameter, and weighing from eighteen to twenty-five pounds.

It is one of the hardiest and most productive of all varieties. Crops are recorded of fourteen tons from an acre. It is esteemed by some for pies; but, as a table squash, is inferior to most other sorts. Its great yield makes it worthy the attention of agriculturists, as it would doubtless prove a profitable variety to be cultivated for stock.

From the habit of the plant, the form and character of the fruit, and its great hardiness and productiveness, it appears to be allied to the Vegetable Marrow.

EGG-SHAPED, OR REEVES. _Thomp._

Fruit large, weighing from fifteen to twenty pounds; but in rich, highly manured soil, and with only a few on each plant, it may be grown to upwards of fifty pounds' weight. It is short, ovate, sometimes tapering rather abruptly. Skin, or shell, hard, of a reddish color; flesh firm, red, excellent in a ripe state cooked as a vegetable, or in any other way in which squashes are prepared. The stems run to a very great length, and bear all along most abundantly. Altogether, it is a sort highly deserving of cultivation.

It was brought into notice by John Reeves, Esq.; who has contributed to horticulture many valuable plants from China, where he resided for many years.

Plant in hills eight feet apart, and thin to two plants to a hill.

HONOLULU.

Plant twelve feet or more in length, remarkably strong and vigorous; leaves very large,--the leaf-stems often three feet and upwards in length; fruit large, oblate, depressed about the stem, broadly, and sometimes deeply, but in general faintly, ribbed; skin moderately thick, but not shell-like, of an ash-green color, striped and variegated with drab or lighter shades of green; flesh reddish-orange, very thick, of good flavor, but less dry and sweet than that of the Hubbard or Boston Marrow; seeds large, white.

This recently introduced variety is hardy, productive, a good keeper, excellent for pies, and by some esteemed for table use.

Specimens frequently occur of a reddish cream-color, striped and marked with drab or pale-yellow.

HUBBARD. _J. J. H. Gregory._

Plant similar in character and appearance to that of the Autumnal Marrow; fruit irregularly oval, sometimes ribbed, but often without rib-markings, from eight to ten inches in length, seven or eight inches in diameter, and weighing from seven to nine pounds,--some specimens terminate quite obtusely, others taper sharply towards the extremities, which are frequently bent or curved; skin, or shell, dense and hard, nearly one-eighth of an inch thick, and overspread with numerous small protuberances; stem fleshy, but not large; color variable, always rather dull, and usually clay-blue or deep olive-green,--the upper surface, if long exposed to the sun, assuming a brownish cast, and the under surface, if deprived of light, becoming orange-yellow; flesh rich salmon-yellow, thicker than that of the Autumnal Marrow, very fine-grained, sweet, dry, and of most excellent flavor,--in this last respect, resembling that of roasted or boiled chestnuts; seeds white,--similar to those of the Autumnal Marrow. Season from September to June; but the flesh is dryest and sweetest during autumn and the early part of winter.

The Hubbard Squash should be grown in hills seven feet apart, and three plants allowed to a hill. It is essential that the planting be made as far as possible from similar varieties, as it mixes, or hybridizes, readily with all of its kind. In point of productiveness, it is about equal to the Autumnal Marrow. "The average yield from six acres was nearly five tons of marketable squashes to the acre."

Mr. J. J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, Mass., who introduced this variety to notice, and through whose exertions it has become widely disseminated, remarks in the "New-England Farmer" as follows:--

"Of its history I know next to nothing, farther than that the seed was given to me by an aged female, about twelve years since, in remembrance of whom I named it; and that the party from whom she received it cannot tell from whence the seed came. I infer that it is of foreign origin, partly from the fact that the gentleman to whom I traced it is a resident of a seaport town, and is largely connected with those who follow the seas."

ITALIAN VEGETABLE MARROW. _Thomp._

Courge Coucourzelle.

This forms a dwarf bush, with short, reclining stems, and upright leaves, which are deeply five-lobed. The fruits are used when the flowers are about to drop from their ends. They are then from four to five inches long, and an inch and a half to two inches in diameter. When ripe, the fruit is from fifteen to eighteen inches in length, and about six inches in diameter. It is of a pale yellow, striped with green. It should, however, be used in the young, green state; for, when mature, it is not so good as many of the other sorts. It bears very abundantly; and, as it does not run, may be grown in smaller compass than the true Vegetable Marrow.

MAMMOTH.

Mammoth Pumpkin. Large Yellow Gourd, of the English. _Thomp._ Potiron jaune, of the French. Cucurbita maxima.

This is the largest-fruited variety known. In a very rich compost, and under favorable conditions of climate, it grows to an enormous size. Fruit weighing a hundred and twenty pounds is not uncommon; and instances, though exceptional, are recorded of weights ranging from two hundred to nearly two hundred and fifty pounds.

The leaves are very large, and the stems thick, running along the ground to the distance of twenty or thirty feet if not stopped, and readily striking root at the joints.

The fruit is round, or oblate; sometimes flattened on the under side, owing to its great weight; sometimes obtusely ribbed, yellowish, or pale buff, and frequently covered to a considerable extent with a gray netting. Flesh very deep yellow; seeds white.

It is used only in its full-grown or ripe state, in which it will keep for several months; and even during the winter, if stored in a dry, warm situation. The flesh is sweet, though generally coarse-grained and watery. It is used in soups and stews, and also for pies; but is seldom served like squash at the table.

NEAPOLITAN.

Courge pleine de Naples. _Vil._

Plant running; leaves small, smooth, striped and marked with white along the nerves; fruit nearly two feet in length, and rather more than five inches in its smallest diameter, bent at the middle, and broadly but faintly ribbed,--it increases in size towards the extremities, but is largest at the blossom-end, where it reaches a diameter of eight or ten inches; skin bright green; stem small; flesh bright, clear yellow; the neck is entirely solid, and the seed-end has an unusually small cavity; seeds dull white.

The late Rev. A. R. Pope, in a communication to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, describes it as follows: "New, very heavy; having a large, solid neck, and a small cavity for the seeds. Flesh sweet, dry, and somewhat coarse, but not stringy. Very superior for pies, and a good keeper."

PATAGONIAN.

A large, long Squash, prominently ribbed. It differs little in form or size from the Custard. Skin very deep green; flesh pale yellow; seeds of medium size, yellowish-white.

The plant is a vigorous grower, and the yield abundant; but its quality is inferior, and the variety can hardly be considered worthy of cultivation for table use. It may, however, prove a profitable sort for growing for agricultural purposes.

PURITAN.

Plant running, ten feet and upwards in length; leaves clear green, of medium size; fruit bottle-formed, fourteen or fifteen inches long, and about ten inches in diameter at the broadest part; neck solid, four or five inches in diameter; average weight eight to ten pounds; skin thin, usually white or cream-white, striped and marked with green, though specimens sometimes occur, from unmixed seed, uniformly green; flesh pale yellow, dry, sweet, mild, and well flavored; seeds of medium size, white. Season from August to January.

This variety, long common to gardens in the vicinity of the Old Colony, retains its distinctive character to a very remarkable degree, even when grown under the most unfavorable circumstances. Seeds, obtained from a gardener who had cultivated the variety indiscriminately among numerous summer and winter kinds for upwards of twenty years, produced specimens uniformly true to the normal form color, and quality. It is hardy and productive, good for table use, excellent for pies, and well deserving of cultivation.

SWEET-POTATO SQUASH.

Plant very similar in character to that of the Hubbard or Autumnal Marrow; fruit twelve or fourteen inches long, seven or eight inches thick, sometimes ribbed, but usually without rib-markings; oblong, tapering to the ends, which are often bent or curved in the manner of some of the types of the Hubbard; stem of medium size, striated; skin ash-green, with a smooth, polished surface; flesh salmon-yellow, thick, fine-grained, dry, and sweet,--if the variety is pure, and the fruit well matured, its quality approaches that of the Hubbard and Autumnal Marrow; seeds white.

The variety is hardy and productive, keeps well, and is deserving of cultivation. When grown in the vicinity of the last-named sorts, it often becomes mixed, and rapidly degenerates. In its purity, it is uniformly of one color; with perhaps the exception of the under surface, which is sometimes paler or yellowish. It has been suggested that this variety and the Hubbard may have originated under similar circumstances.

TURBAN.

Acorn. Giraumon Turban. Turk's-cap. Cucurbita piliformis.

Plant running; leaves small, soft, slightly lobed on the borders; fruit rounded, flattened, expanding about the stem to a broad, plain, brick-red surface, of ten or twelve inches in diameter. At the blossom-end, the fruit suddenly contracts to an irregular, cone-like point, or termination, of a greenish color, striped with white; and thus, in form and color, somewhat resembles a turban: whence the name. Flesh orange-yellow, thick, fine-grained, sugary, and well flavored; seeds white, comparatively short, and small.

The Turban Squash is not early, and should have the advantage of the whole season. "Its specific gravity is said to exceed that of any other variety. Its keeping properties are not particularly good; but its flavor, when grown on light, dry soil, will compare well with either the Autumnal Marrow or the Hubbard." It mixes very readily when grown in the vicinity of other varieties, is not an abundant bearer, and cannot be recommended for general cultivation.

Dr. Harris states that "this variety--sometimes called the 'Acorn Squash,' because, when the fruit is small, it resembles somewhat an acorn in its cup--seems to be the _Cucurbita piliformis_ of Duchesne;" and he further adds, that "it sometimes grows to a large size, measuring fourteen or fifteen inches in transverse diameter, and looks like an immense Turkish turban in shape. Specimens raised in my garden in 1851 were little more than ten inches in diameter, and weighed ten pounds or more; having very thick and firm flesh, and but a small cavity within. They proved excellent for table use,--equal in quality to the best Autumnal Marrows. They keep quite as well as the latter."

VALPARAISO.

Porter's Valparaiso. Commodore Porter.

Plant running; leaves large, not lobed, but cut in rounded angles on the borders; fruit oval, about sixteen inches in length, ten or eleven inches in diameter, slightly ribbed, and largest at the blossom-end, which often terminates in a wart-like excrescence; skin cream-white, sometimes smooth and polished, but often more or less reticulated, or netted; flesh comparatively thick, orange-yellow, generally dry, sweet, and well flavored, but sometimes fibrous and watery; seeds rather large, nankeen-yellow, smooth and glossy.

The variety requires the whole season for its perfection. It hybridizes readily with the Autumnal Marrow and kindred sorts, and is kept pure with considerable difficulty. It is in use from September to spring. The variety, if obtained in its purity, will be found of comparative excellence, and well deserving of cultivation. Stripes and clouds of green upon the surface are infallible evidences of mixture and deterioration.

The late Dr. Harris, in a communication to the "Pennsylvania Farm Journal," remarks as follows: "The Valparaiso squashes (of which there seem to be several varieties, known to cultivators by many different names, some of them merely local in their application) belong to a peculiar group of the genus _Cucurbita_, the distinguishing characters of which have not been fully described by botanists. The word 'squash,' as applied to these fruits, is a misnomer, as may be shown hereafter. It would be well to drop it entirely, and to call the fruits of this group 'pompions,' 'pumpkins,' or 'potirons.' It is my belief, that they were originally indigenous to the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the western coast of America. They are extensively cultivated from Chili to California, and also in the West Indies; whence enormous specimens are sometimes brought to the Atlantic States. How much soever these Valparaiso pumpkins may differ in form, size, color, and quality, they all agree in certain peculiarities that are found in no other species or varieties of _Cucurbita_. Their leaves are never deeply lobed like those of other pumpkins and squashes, but are more or less five-angled, or almost rounded and heart-shaped, at base: they are also softer than those of other pumpkins and squashes. The summit, or blossom-end, of the fruit has a nipple-like projection upon it, consisting of the permanent fleshy style. The fruit-stalk is short, nearly cylindrical, never deeply five-furrowed, but merely longitudinally striated or wrinkled, and never clavated, or enlarged with projecting angles, next to the fruit. With few exceptions, they contain four or five double rows of seeds. To this group belong Mr. Ives's Autumnal Marrow Squash (or Pumpkin); Commodore Porter's Valparaiso Squash (Pumpkin); the so-called Mammoth Pumpkin, or _Cucurbita maxima_ of the botanists; the Turban or Acorn Squash; _Cucurbita piliformis_ of Duchesne; the Cashew Pumpkin; Stetson's Hybrid, called the 'Wilder Squash;' with various others."

VEGETABLE MARROW. _Thomp._

Succade Gourd. Courge à la moëlle, of the French.

Plant twelve feet and upwards in length; leaves deeply five-lobed; fruit about nine inches long, and of an elliptic shape,--but it is sometimes grown to twice that length, and of an oblong form; surface slightly uneven, by irregular, longitudinal, obtuse ribs, which terminate in a projecting apex at the extremity of the fruit. When mature, it is of a uniform pale yellow or straw color. The skin, or shell, is very hard when the fruit is perfectly ripened; flesh white, tender, and succulent, even till the seeds are ripe. It may be used in every stage of its growth. Some prefer it when the flower is still at the extremity of the fruit; others like it older. When well ripened, it will keep well throughout the winter, if stored in a perfectly dry place, out of the reach of frost, and not exposed to great changes of temperature.

To have Vegetable Marrows large and fine for winter, the young fruit should be regularly taken off for use; and, when the plant has acquired strength, a moderate quantity should be allowed to set for maturity. Sufficient for this purpose being reserved, the young fruit that may be subsequently formed should be removed for use in a very young state. The vines, or shoots, may be allowed to run along the surface of the ground; or they may be trained against a wall, or on palings or trellises.

The seed should be planted at the same time and in the same manner as those of the Winter Crookneck or Boston Marrow.

WILDER.

Stetson's Hybrid.

The Wilder Squash was produced about twelve years since, from the Valparaiso and the Autumnal Marrow, by Mr. A. W. Stetson, of Braintree, Mass.; and was named for the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, a gentleman widely known for his patriotic devotion to the advancement of agricultural and pomological science in the United States.

The plant is a strong grower, and resembles that of the Valparaiso. The fruit is somewhat ovoid, but rather irregular in form, broadly and faintly ribbed (sometimes, however, without rib-markings), and varies in weight from twelve to thirty pounds and upwards; stem very large, striated or reticulated, and often turned at right angles near its connection with the fruit,--the opposite extremity terminates in the wart-like excrescence peculiar to the class; skin reddish-yellow, not unlike that of the Autumnal Marrow; the flesh is remarkably thick, of a salmon-yellow color, sweet and well flavored. In some forms of cookery, and especially for pies, it is esteemed equal, if not superior, to any other variety. When served in the customary manner of serving squash at table, it is inferior to the Hubbard or Autumnal Marrow. The seeds are white.

WINTER CROOKNECK.

Cuckaw.

This is one of the oldest and most familiar of the winter varieties. Plant hardy and vigorous; fruit somewhat irregular in form, the neck solid and nearly cylindrical, and the blossom-end more or less swollen. In some specimens, the neck is nearly straight; in others, sweeping, or circular; and sometimes the extremities nearly or quite approach each other. Size very variable, being affected greatly both by soil and season; the weight ranging from six pounds to forty pounds and upwards. A specimen was raised by Capt. Josiah Lovett, of Beverly, Mass., and exhibited before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the weight of which was nearly seventy pounds. Color sometimes green; but, when fully mature, often cream-yellow. The color, like that of the Canada Crookneck, frequently changes after being harvested. If green when plucked, it gradually becomes paler; or, if yellow when taken from the vines, it becomes, during the winter, of a reddish cream-color. Flesh salmon-yellow, not uniform in texture or solidity, sometimes close-grained, sweet, and fine flavored, and sometimes very coarse, stringy, and nearly worthless for the table; seeds of medium size, grayish-white, the border darker, or brownish. About two hundred are contained in an ounce.

It is a very hardy and productive variety; ripens its crop with great certainty; suffers less from the depredations of insects than most of the winter sorts; and, if protected from cold and dampness during the winter months, will keep the entire year.

WINTER STRIPED CROOKNECK.

This is a sub-variety of the common Winter Crookneck. Size large,--the weight varying from six to twenty-five pounds; neck large and solid; seed-end of medium size, and usually smooth; skin thin, very pale-green or light cream-white, diversified with lengthwise stripes and plashes of bright green,--the colors becoming gradually softer and paler after gathering; flesh bright orange, and, like that of the common Winter Crookneck, not uniform in texture or in flavor. Different specimens vary greatly in these respects: some are tough and stringy, others very fine-grained and well flavored. Seeds not distinguishable, in size, form, or color, from those of the Winter Crookneck.

The variety is hardy, grows luxuriantly, is prolific, and keeps well. It is more uniform in shape, and generally more symmetrical, than the Winter Crookneck; though varieties occur of almost every form and color between this and the last named.

As the plants require considerable space, the hills should not be less than eight feet apart. Two or three plants are sufficient for a hill.

"The 'Crookneck Squash,' as it is commonly but incorrectly called, is a kind of 'pumpkin,'--perhaps a genuine species; for it has preserved its identity, to our certain knowledge, ever since the year 1686, when it was described by Ray. Before the introduction of the Autumnal Marrow, it was raised in large quantities for table use during the winter, in preference to pumpkins, which it almost entirely superseded. Many farmers now use it instead of pumpkins for cattle; the vine being more productive, and the fruit containing much more nutriment in proportion to its size. It varies considerably in form and color. The best kinds are those which are very much curved,--nearly as large at the stem as at the blossom-end,--and of a rich cream-color. It is said to degenerate in the Middle and Southern States; where, probably, the Valparaiso or some kindred variety may be better adapted to the climate."--_Dr. Harris._