270 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



angular in cross section than the Jersey type. The varieties which 

 may be used for field cultivation depend upon the purpose for which 

 the cabbage is intended. If for sauerkraut or for immediate con- 

 sumption, the Flat Dutch type from American-grown seed is exten- 

 sively employed in the eastern part of the United States. In the 

 irrigated section of Colorado, in the vicinity of Greeley, where cab- 

 bage is grown for sauerkraut, a variety known as Scotch Cross is 

 almost universally grown. If the cabbage is intended for storage 

 the Danish Ball Head from imported seed is almost exclusively used. 

 (F. B. 255, 433; Colo. E. S. 143; Md. Ag. Col. E. S. 133; Tex. 

 E. S. 52, 69 ; Ga. E. S. 91 ; Kans. E. S. 70 ; S. Dak. E. S. 91.) 



CALABASH.* 



The increasing popularity of calabash pipes made from the 

 fruits of a South African calabash, or gourd, has aroused a wide- 

 spread interest in the growing of this vine. 



Calabash pipes made from imported South African gourds have 

 been the fashion in England for some time and are now coming into 

 vogue in America. These pipes are formed from the crooked necks 

 of a large gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris) belonging to the well-known 

 group of plants which includes the cucumber, the melons, and the 

 squashes. Pipes made from the imported gourds are expensive, 

 American dealers usually charging $3 to $12 apiece for them. They 

 are the lightest pipes made for their size, are graceful in shape, color 

 like meerschaums, and are delightful smokers. Unlike the cheap 

 pipes which are turned out by machinery, no two of these calabash 

 pipes are alike. In this lies much of their charm. In this, likewise, 

 lies their cost, for, unlike the great mass of pipes turned out by ma- 

 chinery, the crook of the calabash varies so that each mouthpiece 

 must be made to fit it and each lining of meerschaum or plaster of 

 Paris must be specially adapted. In our land of labor-saving 

 machinery and expensive hand labor this is what makes the pipes 

 costly. 



The vine forms a very satisfactory cover for unsightly brush 

 heaps or fences, though its rather rank odor might prove objection- 

 able if used for an arbor too near the dwelling. To grow the vine for 

 the sake of its gourds is where the chief interest lies, however, and to 

 do this well it should not be trained on a trellis, but allowed to trail 

 over the ground. If the fruits are allowed to lie on the ground they 

 form their crooked necks quite naturally Avithout assistance, and 

 while not all of them by any means make suitable necks for pipes a 

 good proportion do. It seems to induce a more perfect neck to stand 

 the gourds up when half grown so that they rest on their big ends. 

 Unless care is exercised in doing this the necks snap off, for they are 

 extremely brittle even when fully grown. It is only when almost 

 mature that they become hard and then they are indeed almost 

 unbreakable. 



Much could doubtless be done to perfect the methods of culture, 

 insuring perhaps a greater percentage of properly crooked necks and 

 more perfect surfaces. It could not be seen that inheritance plays 

 any material part in this matter of percentage of crooks. If left to 



* See page 321, for illustration. 



