Pumpkin and Squash
Read about Pumpkin and Squash in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Pumpkin and Squash. Fruits, and the plants that produce them, of species of Cucurbita, used for food when cooked and also for stock-feed. See Cucurbita. In North America, the word pumpkin (colloquially but incorrectly pronounced punkin) is applied to large late-maturing globular or oblong fruits of forms of Cucurbita Pepo, represented in the "field pumpkin" (Fig. 3257), from which pies are made and which is commonly fed to cattle and swine. The pumpkin is characterized by a five-angled stem which is not expanded where it joins the fruit (Fig. 1133, Vol. II), by rough vines and herbage, and by prominently lobed leaves. Sometimes the word is applied to some of the earlier forms of this species, as to the Sugar pumpkins that ripen late in summer or early in autumn and are used for pies. It is also applied to forms of Cucurbita moschata, which, in the form known as Canada Crook-neck squash, is sometimes called "pie pumpkin." The word squash is adapted from an American Indian word, and is applied in an indefinite way to various members of the genus Cucurbita. The application of the name does not conform to the specific lines of the plants. What are called summer squashes are mostly varieties of Cucurbita Pepo, of the Crookneck and Pattypan type. The winter squashes are either C. maxima or C. moschata, chiefly the former. If the name squash belongs to one species more than to another, this species is probably C. maxima. This species produces fruit with very firm or "solid" yellow flesh. The pictures on pages 909-911 in Vol. II, show some of the forms of these species. Fig. 3258 is the Winter or Canada Crook-neck, one of the forms of C. moschata. Figs. 3259-3262 are forms of the multifarious Cucurbita Pepo. A further discussion of the application of the vernacular names will be found in Vol. II, page 909. Culturally, the pumpkins and squashes comprise one group of warm-season frost-sensitive plants. They are very easy to grow, provided they are given a warm and quick soil. They are long-season plants (except the "bush" varieties of summer squash), and therefore in the North they are very likely to be caught by frosts before the full crop has matured, unless the plants are started early and make a rapid and continuous growth. In hard rough clay lands the plants do not get a foothold early enough to allow them to mature the crop. On such lands it is impossible, also, to plant the seeds early. As a consequence, nearly all squashes are grown on soils of a loose and relatively light character. Sandy lands or sandy loams are preferred in the northern limits, but an open clay loam is probably the best soil in general for these plants. On very rich bottom lands the plants often thrive remarkably well, but there is danger that they may run too much to vine, particularly when the soil has too much available fertilizer. In order that the plants shall start quickly, it is necessary that the soil be in excellent tilth. It is customary, with many large growers, to apply a little commercial fertilizer to the hills to give the plants a start. A fertilizer somewhat strong in nitrogen may answer this purpose very well; but care must be taken not to use nitrogen too late in the season, else the plants will continue to grow over- vigorously rather than to set fruit. Pumpkins and squashes are of two general kinds, so far as culture is involved, the bush varieties and the long-running varieties. The bush types are usually early. The vines run very little, or not at all. The various summer squashes belong to this category, and most of them are varieties of Cucurbita Pepo. The hills of bush varieties are usually planted as close together as 4 by 4 feet. On high-priced land they are often planted 3 by 4 feet. The fruits are borne close to the center of the plant. The long-running varieties comprise the autumn and winter types; and to this category may also be referred, for cultural purposes, the common field pumpkins. There is much difference between the varieties as to length of vine. On strong soils, some varieties will run 15 to 20 feet, and sometimes even more, producing the fruit some feet from the hill or the root. These varieties are planted from 8 to 12 feet apart each way. Sometimes they are planted in corn-fields, and they are allowed to occupy the ground after tillage for the corn is completed, but with the introduction of corn-harvesting machinery this practice is falling away. For general field conditions, the seeds of pumpkins and squashes are usually planted in hills where the plants are to stand. If the land is mellow and rich, these hills are nothing more than a bit of ground 12 to 18 inches across, that has been freshly hoed or spaded and leveled off. On this hill, from six to ten seeds are dropped, and they are covered an inch or less in depth. In order to provide the seeds with moisture, the earth is usually firmed with the hoe. When the very best results are desired, particularly for the home-garden, hills may be prepared by digging out a bushel of soil and filling the place with rich earth and fine manure. It is expected that not more than three to five of the plants will finally be left to each hill; but there are many contingencies to be considered. The young plants may be taken off by cutworms or by other insects, or they may be caught by frost, and it is well not to remove the extra plants too soon. If it is necessary to start the crop in advance of the season, the seeds may be planted in pots or boxes in a forcing-house or hotbed about three weeks before it is time to set them in the field. If the seeds are started much earlier than this, the plants are likely to get too large and to become stunted. When set in the field, the roots should fill the pot or box so that the earth is held in a compact ball, and the plant should be fresh, green, and stocky. Sometimes the seeds are planted on sections of inverted tough sod, and the entire piece is transferred directly to the field. Plants that become stunted and develop one or two flowers when they are in the box are usually of little use. Sometimes seeds are planted directly in the field in forcing hills, and when the plants are established and the season is settled the protecting box is removed and the plants stand in their permanent positions. A good vine should produce two or three first-class fruits; if, however, one flower sets very early in the season, the vine may devote most of its energies to the perfection of that single fruit and not set many others, or may set them too late to allow them to mature. If it is desired, therefore, that the plants shall produce more than one fruit, it is advisable to pick off the first fruit, providing it sets long in advance of the appearance of other pistillate flowers. These remarks apply particularly to winter squashes in northern regions. With small varieties and under best conditions, as many as a half- dozen fruits may be secured from a single vine, and in some cases this number may be exceeded. Squash vines tend to root at the joints; but so far as general culture is concerned, this should be prevented, because it tends to prolong the growing season of the vine, although it may have to be encouraged if the borer is prevalent. It is usually well, therefore, to lift the joints occasionally when hoeing, although the vine should not be moved or disturbed. This precaution applies particularly in the short-season climates of the North, where every effort must be made to cause the plant to set its fruit early in the season and to complete its growth before cool weather. Tillage is simple. It consists in light working of the surface until the plants begin to run strongly, after which the big weeds are pulled by hand. For early results with bush squashes, or when the land is of a cold or backward type, the plants may be grown in hills that are raised a few inches above the general level; this adds to the expense, and in most cases it is better to practise level culture. The varieties of pumkpins and squashes are numerous, and it is difficult to keep them pure if various kinds are grown together. However, the true squashes (Cucurbita maxima) do not hybridize with the true pumpkin species (Cucurbita Pepo). There need be no fear, therefore, of mixing between the Crookneck or Scallop squashes on the one side and the varieties of Hubbard or Marrow types on the other. The summer or bush squashes are of three general classes: the Crook-necks, the Scallop or Pattypan varieties, and the Pineapple or oblong-conical varieties, all forms of C. Pepo. The autumn and winter varieties may be thrown into several groups: the true field pumpkin, of which the Connecticut Field (Fig. 3257) is the leading representative, being the one that is commonly used for stock and for pies; the Canada Crookneck or Cushaw types, which are varieties of C. moschata; the Marrow and Marble-head types, which are the leading winter squashes and are varieties of the C. maxima; the Turban squashes, which have a "squash within a squash" and are also varieties of C. maxima. The mammoth pumpkins or squashes which are sometimes grown for exhibition and which may weigh 200 or 300 pounds, are forms of C. maxima. In Europe the vegetable marrow type is much prized. It is a form of Cucurbita Pepo. In this country it is little grown, although it thrives well, the various summer squashes of the Crookneck and Scallop types being more popular. The following English advice on this vegetable is from a contribution to Gardening Illustrated, from which Fig. 3263, representing Moore's vegetable marrow, is also reduced: "Vegetable marrows should be eaten young—say when about one-fourth or one-sixth their full size. Cut in this state, and boiled quickly until quite tender in plenty of water, carefully strained, and served with melted butter, they are second to no vegetable that comes to table, not even excepting green peas or asparagus. Early cutting, careful cooking, and serving are the chief points to which attention should be paid; but there are others, one of the principal being rapid growth. Grow vegetable marrows quickly, and they are almost sure to be good; grow them slowly, and you will find them often tough and bitter. Hence the soil or place in which they are grown can hardly be too rich for them. Not but what they do fairly well in any good garden soil, but the richer it is the better. On a rubbish-heap, for instance, vegetable marrows grow with wonderful vigor, and fruit abundantly." For early results, they are often started under glass in pots. There are many kinds or varieties. The custard marrows are fruits of the Scallop or Pattypan kind. The summer Crookneck is little used abroad for food. Insect enemies and diseases of pumpkins and squashes are several. Perhaps the most serious is the striped cucumber beetle, which destroys the tender young plants. This insect is destroyed with the arsenicals applied in flour, also with tobacco powder and some other materials; but since it works on the under sides of the leaves as well as on the upper, it is difficult to make the application in such way as to afford a complete protection. The insects also are likely to appear in great numbers and to ruin the plants even whilst they are getting their fill of arsenic. If the beetles are abundant in the neighborhood, it is best to start a few plants very early and to plant them about the field in order to attract the early crop of beetles, thereby making it possible to destroy them. From these early plants the beetles may be hand-picked, or they may be killed with very heavy applications of arsenicals,—applications so strong that they may even injure the plants. Sometimes the hills of squashes are covered with wire gauze or mosquito netting that is held above the earth by means of hoops stuck into the ground. This affords a good protection from insects that arrive from the outside, providing the edges are thoroughly covered with earth so that the insects cannot crawl under; but if the insects should come through the ground beneath the covers they will destroy the plants, not being able to escape. The arsenicals should be applied when the dew is on, or the plants may be sprayed with bordeaux mixture to which the poison has been added. The squash bug or stink-bug may be handled in the same way as the striped cucumber beetle. This insect, however, remains throughout the season and, in many cases, it is necessary to resort to hand-picking. The insects crawl under chips or pieces of board at night, and this fact may be utilized in catching them. The young bugs can be killed by tobacco extract and soap, and by some of the emulsions. The stem-borer attacks the vines later in the season, boring into the main stalk near the root, and causing the entire plant to lose vigor or to die. It is a soft white larva. As a safeguard, it is well to cover the vines at the joints with earth after they have begun to run, so that roots will form at these places and sustain the plant if the main stem is injured. The borers may also be cut out with a thin-bladed knife. Tobacco dust is said to keep the insect away. Infected vines should be burned to destroy larvae and eggs. A wilt disease, caused by a species of bacillus, sometimes does damage to species of Cucurbita. The disease is likely to be associated with the punctures of the striped beetle. Burn the infected plants. The summer squashes are eaten before the shell becomes hard, and not afterward. A thoroughly mature Crookneck or Scallop is not used and not marketable. The late forms of Cucurbita Pepo, like the field pumpkin, are not long keepers, but the late squashes of the C. maxima type, as Hubbard, Boston Marrow, and Marblehead, can be kept till late spring. To keep these late squashes, care should be taken to have them full grown, with hard shells, not frosted or otherwise injured; they should be harvested with the stem on, and much care should be exercised to prevent any bruising or rough handling. In a rather dry and somewhat dark cellar, with a temperature of about 40°, such fruits may be kept all winter. Commercial growers store them in above-ground houses built for the purpose, placed only one layer deep on racks or shelves. The house is well insulated to prevent fluctuation, kept dry, and provided with a stove or other heat for very cold weather, the temperature maintained at about 40° to 45° F. The following advice on the storing of squashes was written for the "Cyclopedia of American Horticulture" by W. W. Rawson: "Cut the squashes just before they are thoroughly ripe. Be careful not to start the stem in the squash. Lay them on the ground one deep and let them dry in the sun two or three days before bringing to the building. Handle very carefully when putting in, and be sure that the wagon in which they are carried has springs. Put them two deep on shelves in a building. This should be done on a cool, dry day. If the weather continues cool and dry, keep them well aired by day; but, if damp weather comes, build a small fire in the stove in order to dry out the green stems. Keep the temperature about 50°, and air well in dry weather. The squashes may need picking over about Christmas if put in the building about October 1; handle very carefully when picking over. Fifty tons can be kept in a single building with a small fire. Do not let them freeze, but if temperature goes down to 40° at times it will do no harm; nor should it be allowed to go as high as 70°. The Hubbard squash keeps best and longest and does not shrink in weight as much as other kinds; but any of them will shrink 20 per cent if kept until January 1." L.H.B
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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