72 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



One State College of Agriculture thinks it can be done, 

 and writes as follows : 



"I have never tried the feeding of milk to squashes. I 

 have seen it mentioned for a number of years and have al- 

 ways been on the point of trying it. My impression is 

 that under the proper conditions it can be done wath suc- 

 cess. I think that we shall try it ourselves next 3'ear. In 

 the meantime I do not care to be quoted in respect to the 

 matter because I do not know." 



Another is inclined to favor the possibility of the suc- 

 cess of the experiment and writes ; 



"Your inquiry touches upon one of those horticultural 

 stories which seem to lie upon the borderland between 

 fact and fiction. I have often heard of cutting off a leaf or 

 piece of squash vine and inserting the cut end into milk 

 for the purpose of feeding the vine and increasing the 

 growth of the fruits, but I am frank to say that I have 

 never tried it or seen it tried and I do not know Avhether 

 there is anything in it or not. On general principles, it 

 does not seem reasonable that it would work. It certain- 

 ly seems unreasonable to suppose that cutting a hole in 

 the squash itself and pouring in milk as suggested would 

 be of use. I should expect it to cause the squash to decay 

 instead of making it grow. However, I should not like to 

 pass judgment upon the problem because some things 

 which seem unreasonable are, after all, true. I know of 

 no place to find anything written about it, I am sorry 

 not to give an intelligent answer." 



Of the large number of letters and personal inquiries, 

 only one stated positively that squashes and pumpkins 

 cannot be so fed. This is from Professor A. G. Gully, hor- 

 ticulturist at the Connecticut College of Agriculture, 

 Storrs, Conn., and president of the Connecticut Pomologi- 

 cal Society. Professor Gully is not only an acknowledged 

 authority on matters horticultural, but on some other 

 matters, and is a humorist, all of which are self evident by 

 his letter. 



"Yours of 24th received. I may say you can fatten 



