332 THE YEAR-BOOK OF AGRICULTURE. 



often exceeds its transverse diameter ; its color is of a deeper yellow or orange, the furrows 

 on its surface not so deep or broad, and its rind much thicker, and in some varieties quite 

 hard. Its flesh is rather coarse, of a deep orange-yellow color, and of a peculiar strong 

 odor. Baked pumpkin and milk, pumpkin-sauce, and dried pumpkin for winter use have 

 had their day, and gone out of fashion; and pumpkin-pies are now mostly made of the 

 autumnal marrow and crook-necked winter squashes, except by some of the old folks, who 

 still prefer the pumpkin baked in a milk-pan, and without any pastry. 



The New England "crook-neck squash," as it is commonly but incorrectly called, is a 

 kind of pumpkin, perhaps a genuine species, for It has preserved its identity, to our certain 

 knowledge, ever since the year 1686, when it was described by Ray. It has the form and 

 color of the Cashew, but is easily distinguished therefrom by the want of a persistent stile, 

 and by its clavated and furrowed fruit-stem. Before the introduction of the autumnal mar- 

 row, it was raised in large quantities for table use during the winter, in preference to 

 pumpkins, which it almost entirely superseded. Many farmers now use it instead of pump- 

 kins for cattle, the vine being more productive, and the fruit containing much more nutri- 

 ment in proportion to its size. It varies considerably in form and color. The best kinds 

 are those which are very much curved, nearly as large at the stem as at the blossom end, 

 and of a rich cream color. Some are green, variegated with cream-colored stripes and 

 spots. Some are bell-shaped, or with a very short and straight neck, and are less esteemed 

 than the others ; for the neck, being solid and of fine texture, is the best part of the fruit. 

 These crook-necks can be kept all winter, if not exposed to frost, and I have eaten of them 

 when a year old. On account of its hardiness, its fruitfulness, and its keeping qualities, 

 this is perhaps the most valuable variety to the New England farmer. It is said to degene- 

 rate in the Middle and Southern States, where, probably, Porter's Valparaiso or some 

 kindred variety may be better adapted to the climate. 



The early Canada squash seems to be a precocious and dwarfed variety of the common 

 crook-neck. It is smaller, with a short and often straight neck, and is of a dark and dirty 

 buff color externally. It comes into eating early, quite as soon as the autumnal marrow, 

 and was, indeed still is, much esteemed as a table vegetable. 



The custard squash or pumpkin is an oblong, deeply-furrowed, and prominently ten-ribbed 

 fruit, with a pale buff and very hard (but not woody) rind, and fine, light-yellow flesh, much 

 esteemed in the making of pies and puddings. From seeds received from Paris, under the 

 name of Patagonian squash, I raised a fruit exactly like the custard squash in form and 

 size, but of a dark-green color externally, and entirely worthless as an article of food. 

 Nevertheless, I infer that the custard squash is merely an improved variety from the same 

 original stock. 



The fruits belonging to this second group probably originated in the eastern and central 

 parts of the two Americas. They were cultivated by the Indians, and were found here in 

 their gardens and fields by Europeans on the first settlement of the country. Pumpkins, 

 or bell-shaped squashes, (as New Englanders would now call them,) were found as far north 

 as Saco, by Champlain, in 1605 and 1606. A similar variety was cultivated by the Iroquois 

 Indians, and still bears their name in France. Pumpkins were found by Raleigh's colony 

 among the Indians in North Carolina, and by early voyagers in the West Indies. There 

 are indigenous kinds in Brazil, and we have seen that even Patagonia has added another to 

 the common stock. Cultivation has, doubtless, improved their qualities, and has caused 

 them to sport in numerous varieties, so that it is now difficult, if not impossible, to deter- 

 mine which of the known kinds are typical species and which are mere varieties. 



A third group remains to be described. The representatives of it are the Cucurbita melo- 

 pepo, verrucosa, and ovifera, of Linnaeus. It includes all those kinds called in New England 

 summer squashes, because they are eaten only during the summer while they are soft and 

 tender, and in an unripe state. These are the only two squashes, if regard be had to the 

 origin of the name, derived from the language of the Massachusetts Indians, by whom, 

 according to Roger Williams, this kind of fruit was called "Askutasquash, which the English 

 from them call Squashes." From the same authority, and from, other sources, we learn that 

 the Indians of New England cultivated this kind of fruit or vegetable, and used it for food ; 



