654: HOW TO MAKE TUE FARM PAY. 



growu before winter. (September 15th, in the vicinity of 

 Philadelphia.)* Sow in drills one foot apart. That for later 

 use is sown in early spring between the rows of early vegeta- 

 bles; it requires little labor, and is readily sold about six weeks 

 alter sowing. It pays about three times the profit of potatoes 

 on the same soil, but requires more manure. 



Squashes as a farm crop should be much more largely 

 grown, for none of the large markets North or South have ever 

 been supplied. The Boston market is perhaps more nearly 

 supplied than any other. A light warm soil is best suited to 

 the squash. A clay, if not too heavy, may be so ameliorated by 

 sand, drainage, and high manuring as to be made to* produce a 

 fair crop. A drained meadow will produce a large quantity of 

 almost worthless squash, unless large quantities of sand and 

 loam are worked into it. A sandy loam, moderately gravelly, 

 gives the best results. On such lands the squash will do well 

 on freshly broken sod. Manure, not in such large quantities 

 as required for some of the other crops, but at the rate of at 

 least ten cords to the acre, should without fail, be applied. 

 Night soil is the best; hen, pig, and sheep dung next, and barn- 

 yard manure, muck, superphosphate of lime, guano, and wood 

 ashes, about equal in value. Night soil should be thoroughly ^ 

 composted with muck or loam as directed in Chapter III. If the 

 soil is very sandy, the hill should be filled with peat ; excellent 

 crops have been raised on sandy plains by this method. Wood 

 ashes should not be mixed with the other manures until just 

 before they are applied.* 



Guano, superphosphates, and other concentrated manures are 

 applied directly in the hill, before planting, but the bulk of thej 

 manure should be plowed or harrowed in broadcast; for the 



See note at close of Chapter III. 



J 



