170 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



bees and other insects carrying the pollen. While this 

 belief is firmly impressed on some gardeners, no botanist or 

 horticulturist has yet been able to produce these hybrids. 

 In no case has fruit set, but the blossoms have fallen as 

 though not fertilized. Different varieties of squashes, 

 however, will cross with one another freely. 



Choosing the soil for squashes. 



A good cucumber soil is also a good squash soil. Very 

 rich land with but little sand in the soil is not adapted for 

 squashes ; there will be an abundance of fruit, but it will be 

 insipid and will rot easily. A piece of well-drained sandy 

 muckland raises heavy crops of good fruit. For ship- 

 ping, the early varieties are about the only ones that pay. 



Squashes have one advantage over melons and cucumbers, 

 in that they can be grown on freshly-broken land. All 

 that is necessary is to keep the land in a well-worked 

 condition. It does not pay to neglect this crop. 



Fertilizers. 



Almost any kind of decaying organic matter will make 

 a good manure for squashes. They respond to good treat- 

 ment, however. The plants should not be allowed to 

 exhaust the fertilizer which is in the soil in an available 

 form, before more is applied. If the fertilizer is well 

 balanced, there will be no trouble arising from too much 

 being used ; but care must be exercised not to use too much 

 nitrogen. J. J. H. Gregory, who is the best authority 

 on squash-raising in the country, applies an amount of 

 manure that seems very large indeed, and at the close of 

 his discussion on fertilizers he makes this pointed state- 



