THE SQUASH. 219 



This is one of the oldest and most familiar "Winter 



Crookneck. 

 of the winter varieties. Plant hardy and vigo- CUCKAW. 



rous ; fruit somewhat irregular in form, the neck solid and 

 nearly cylindrical, and the blossom-end more or less swollen. 

 In some specimens the neck is nearly straight ; in others, 

 sweeping or circular ; and sometimes the extremities nearly 

 or quite approach each other. Size very variable, being 

 affected greatly both by soil and season ; the weight ranging 

 from six to forty pounds and upwards. A specimen was 

 raised by Captain Josiah Lovett, of Beverly, Mass., and ex- 

 hibited before the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, the weight of 

 which was nearly seventy pounds. 

 Color sometimes green, but, when 

 fully mature, often cream-yellow. 

 The color, like that of the Can- 

 ada Crookneck, frequently changes 

 after being harvested. If green 

 when plucked, it gradually becomes 

 paler; or, if yellow when taken winter Crookneck squash, 

 from the vines, it becomes, during the winter, of a reddish 

 cream-color. Flesh salmon-yellow, not uniform in texture 

 or solidity, sometimes close-grained, sweet, and fine-flavored, 

 and sometimes coarse, stringy, and nearly worthless for the 

 table ; seeds of medium size, grayish-white, the border darker, 

 or brownish. About two hundred are contained in an ounce. 

 It is a hardy and productive variety ; ripens its crop 

 with great certainty ; suffers less from the depredations of 

 insects than most of the winter sorts ; and, if protected from 

 cold and dampness during the winter months, will keep the 

 entire year. 



This is a sub-variety of the common Winter "Winter 



Striped 

 Crookneck. Fruit of large size, varying in Crookneck. 



