THE MINNESOTA 



HORTICULTURIST. 



VOL. 27. JUNE, 1899. No. 6. 



CULTIVATION OF THE SQUASH IN THE 

 FAMILY GARDEN. 



J. S. JERABEK, SILVER LAKE. 



At the outset I wish to call your attention to two things. First, 

 when writing this paper I had in mind the soil and the climate of 

 my neighborhood. The soil is a clay loam, the subsoil yellow clay 

 averaging about twelve feet in depth, and the bottom blue clay. 

 Although we are in the same latitude as this city (Minneapolis), our 

 wheat crops mature on an average one week later. For the gourd 

 family crop the difference is greater. Second and most important 

 is this: I did not write near all I wanted to, because I have not 

 learned the art of saying much in few words. 



We should select high ground and sheltered from cold 

 winds if we have such a spot on our place. One of the best man- 

 ured corners of our garden will do very well. The reason why I say 

 the best manured spot is, because we can raise much nicer and 

 heavier crops of squashes in very rich soil. 



Last winter I visited my friend near Hopkins, and he showed me 

 a nice lot of large Hubbard squashes which he had raised. I asked: 

 "How do you raise such nice Hubbard squashes? I can raise nice 

 Marbleheads, Orange Marrow and other kinds, but Hubbards I 

 cannot raise." 



He replied: "Use plenty of good manure, and you will succeed.' 

 He gave me seed, of which I planted one hill on a well manured 

 spot, and the result was eighteen nice squashes, while before I used 

 to raise on an average about three scrubby Hubbards to a hill. 



It is advisable to plant the few hills which we need quite early in 

 the season, at about the same time we plant our potatoes for early 

 crop, as it is easier to protect the plants from late frosts, if they 

 should happen to come, by covering them with wooden boxes, than 

 it is to defend the small plants from the attacks of the striped beetle. 



The winter varieties need all of the sunshine we can give them in 

 order to be well ripened before the first frost, which quite often ends 

 their growing period. 



Generally we cannot depend upon raising a good crop of other 

 vegetables with squashes on the same soil in the same season, ex- 



