THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



141 



locality. It is surprising to learn how 

 many grapes may be bagged in a day 

 by a skillful person, who is quick 

 motioned. The expense, however, is 

 worth considering, and will prevent 

 the practice becoming general, except 

 to i)revent rot, and to prevent the 

 depredations of birds and fowls, and 

 damage by frost. If one has only a 

 few vines in the garden, it is an easy 

 matter to make them secure against 

 rot and other serious dangers by bag- 

 ging them, and tlie expense is hardly 

 worth mentioning in such cases. — 

 Charles A. Green. 



MAMMOTH SQUASH. 



In W. Atlee Burpee tk Co.'s Farm 

 Annual for 1886, Philadelphia, the 

 credit is awarded to Mr. Charles 

 Hewitt, of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, 

 of having grown the largest squash on 

 record, 292 lbs., exhibited at the Do- 

 minion Exhibition in St. John in 1883, 

 and in 1885, in competition with the 

 United States, of having won first and 

 second prizes, $25.00 and $10.00, for 

 mammoth squash with 262 lbs. and 

 223 lbs., and lirst of $25.00 with 206^ 

 11)S. for mammoth pumpkin. 



Thinking it a matter of interest to 

 learn Mr. Hewitt's methods, since 

 whatever will grow mammoth will also 

 grow table squash, I wrote to him re- 

 cently for his processes in detail, with 

 permission to publish, which he kindly 

 gave as follows : — 



" Soil, a clay loam, with some sand 

 and chip manure, not too coai-se, a 

 sheltered, southerly aspect. Prej)are 

 the ground in the fall, by digging a 

 liole 5 feet by 5 feet 1 foot deep, in 

 which put a bucket of tish offal, with 

 iialf bucket of night soil ; replace the 

 soil. About 20th April put two seeds 

 ill a 4-inch pot and ])lace in a window 

 or hot bed ; when in four leaves re- 

 move the weakest by cutting it off; 

 [>ulling up may disturb the roots of the 



otlier. Take a sash 3 ft. square, make 

 a frame to fit with four ])ieces of 

 boards, dig out the hole made in the 

 fall the full size ; in this put a large 

 barrow load of horse manure, mixing 

 it with the soil removed, form a mound 

 or hill, on which place your frame and 

 sash ; in the centre put some garden 

 soil, \n which set your plant, with 

 care not to disturb the roots in remov- 

 ing from the pot. 



Water when dry with li{i[uid manure, 

 not strong, and not touching the leaves ; 

 give air as needed. When danger of 

 frost is past, and the vine fills the 

 frame, remove the frame, pick oft* bugs, 

 let the vines run and encourage them 

 to root in adjoining ground, which 

 should be heavily manured with stable 

 manure, mixed with fish offal, lobster 

 factory offal, if convenient. 



Let the vine cover the space of 10 or 

 12 feet. When fruit forms, allow all 

 to get as large as cocoanuts. select the 

 most healthy ; if from the main vine, 

 so much the better, not too close to the 

 stock, as they feed from the root joints ; 

 at the same time pinch off the tip ends 

 of the vines and laterals, keep pinching 

 off as soon as other laterals form, and 

 all fruit as soon as formed, allowing 

 only the one to remain ; the concen- 

 trated nutriment immediately takes 

 effect, and in twenty-four hours you 

 will be surprised to find your squash 

 growing so rapidly. 



When very dry, water once a week 

 with liquid manure, made from cow 

 dung, or from the draining of the 

 manure heap, not too strong ; dilute 

 with soft v\ ater and avoid touching a 

 leaf. Just before a rain, strew some 

 su])erphosphate around the plant, and 

 along the vines, and cover lightly with 

 soil. Stirring the soil frequently is 

 better than water, as the ground is aj)t 

 to V>ake. 



Pegging down the vines secui*ely 

 would be a useful ])recaution where 



fc 



