SQUASHES, HOW TO BROW THEM, ETC. 41 



may be planted, there may be all this difference, owing to 

 the greater prevalence of insects one season over another. 

 The average price of Marrow squashes for the past six 

 years has been about twenty-five dollars a ton. 



The extremes of prices of the Turban and Hubbard 

 during the same period have been from $20 to $50 ; the 

 average having been nearly thirty-four dollars. 



Previous to the war, the Marrow ruled in the market at 

 from 815 to $20 per ton, and the Hubbard at from $20 to 

 $25. These prices are the market rates just after the crop 

 is gathered. As the season advances, prices rise to 50, 

 60, ,70, 80, 90 and 100 dollars per ton, and occasional lots 

 kept late into the spring, and sold by the barrel, have 

 brought as high as $140 per ton. The last four tons I 

 sold the past season brought me $400 ; yet so remarkably 

 poorly did the crop keep the past winter, that the profit 

 would have been equally as great, had I sold at $25 per 

 ton in the fall. 



The markets of New York and of the large Southern 

 cities are, as yet, but poorly supplied with the Hubbard 

 squash during the winter season. I can think of no in- 

 vestment in agricultural products that would pay better 

 than the judicious handling of a couple of hundred tons 

 of Hubbard squashes in New York or Philadelphia dur- 

 ing the winter months. 



Squash, farming, on lands pushed well out into the ocean, 

 have some advantages over inland farming. Neither the 

 cabbage, or turnip fly, the pea bug, squash bug, or other 

 destructive insect is nearly as prevalent in such sections 

 as just back from the coast, while the temperature is 

 three or four degrees higher late in the fall, which usually 

 carries the crop safely through the first severe frost, and 

 gives them the advantage of two or three weeks good 

 ripening weather, that usually precedes the severe frosts 

 that usher in winter. I have known years when the mag- 

 gots and bugs proved so destructive to the crop a few 



