204 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and forcing' business, and he said that was the method that had 

 been adopted in England, and he was very successful in raising cu- 

 cumbers in that way. I do not see why the same plan would not 

 work with squash and melons. 



Mr. Bush: That is one of the secrets of growing squashes and 

 melons. Plant not more than two or three in the hill, and then begin 

 this trimming; it can be done with a corn knife, and if late fruit sets 

 on those vines you can pinch the blossoms and mature only what 

 you want. You will get better fruit, and it will be better matured 

 and will keep better, and you will be much more successful in the 

 long run. For keeping them in the winter they must be gathered 

 free from moisture, and must be stored perfectly dry. Remember 

 that when storing squashes. 



Mr. Elliot: You would not advice keeping them at a high temper- 

 ature, say about 40 degrees? 



Mr. Bush: Yes, that is about the temperature in which they will 

 keep best. 



Mr. C. L. Smith: Mr. Jerabek spoke about his protecting boxes. 

 What kind do you use, and when do you put them on? 



Mr. Jerabek: Soap boxes will do, and I put them on when it looks 

 like a freeze. I only raise about six hills, and I have twice as many 

 as I can use. You can easily cover four or six hills in a few mom 

 ents when it looks like a freeze. 



Mr, C. L. Smith: What about the striped bug? 



Mr. Jerabek: I never do anything for them except pick them off 

 the vines. 



Mr. C, L. Smith: I think I do better than that. Something like 

 ten or twelve years ago, in the early days of the farmers' institute 

 work, I made some boxes to put over my vines. I used some six 

 inch fencing and made the boxes twelve inches square, covered them 

 with unbleached muslin, and I found I could plant my squashes 

 from the first to the tenth of May, and by using the boxes I not only 

 protected against frost, but I protected against the striped beetle. 

 I leave those boxes there day and night until the vines and leaves 

 begin to push out and crowd the box, then I take them off. I never 

 have any trouble with the striped bug. Three years ago I had a lit- 

 tle patch of ground, just eight square rods. I had nothing else to 

 plant in it, so I hauled two wagon loads of manure from the yard 

 and manured that piece of land. I dug hills eight feet apart each 

 way and threw about two bushel baskets of manure in each hill so 

 the hill was full of it within two inches of the surface; then I planted 

 seven to eight squash seeds in each hill, and when they were well 

 up thinned them out to three in each hill. When nearly grown I 

 clipped the ends of all the vines. I hauled the squash into the city 

 and got $20.00 for two and one-quarter tons I raised from that eight 

 square rods. All the cultivating they had was one cultivation with 

 the horse and one hand hoeing, and then the vines covered the 

 ground. I used the boxes, and they are cheaply and easily made- 

 I culled out all the six inch boards from my pine wood. I found 

 the twelve inch boxes to be a little smaller than they ought to be, 

 •so now I make them sixteen inches. I figure that the entire cost if 



