COMMON GARDEN PLANTS 115 



In the course of a few generations a fairly 

 fixed plant was thus produced. The most 

 marked peculiarity of this squash was its ex- 

 ceptional specific gravity. For its size it was in- 

 comparably the heaviest squash I have ever seen. 

 The meat is thick, solid, and of dark color. Its 

 seed cavity is of medium size, thickly studded 

 with large, heavy seeds. Externally the squash 

 is white, striped with green, generally but not 

 always smooth. 



This new variety found favor in many local- 

 ities for planting in dry places or as a depend- 

 ence in dry seasons. It was named the Chiloe 

 by the company who introduced it, in recogni- 

 tion of the home of the ancestral stock from 

 which it was developed. 



Notwithstanding its cannon ball-like solidity, 

 it is of exceedingly sweet flesh. Its firmness 

 gives it remarkable keeping qualities; it often 

 lasts until May or even June of the following 

 season. 



The work with this squash shows that it is by 

 no means impossible to fix a new type. But there 

 is abundant work to be done in this direction with 

 large numbers of varieties now under cultiva- 

 tion and much may be done also toward develop- 

 ing thickness of flesh and sweetness of quality. 

 Moreover, attention should be given to the seed 



