SQUASHES 279 



a long distance from market because of their good shipping quali- 

 ties. They require sandy soil and hot weather to produce the best 

 melons. If grown in the North with any success they must have 

 particularly favorable conditions, and the very earliest varieties 

 must be used. 



Growing in the loose, sandy soil as they should, very little prep- 

 aration of it need be made at planting time. A few furrows may 

 be turned, in which the hills are made at intervals of several feet. 

 Rotted manure should be placed in the hills as in planting musk- 

 melons. The field should be cultivated and hoed about the hills. 

 The treatment for muskmelons may be followed in the case of 

 watermelons with equally successful results. 



Citron Melon. This variety is sometimes known as preserving 

 melon, and resembles a small watermelon. It is used for pickles 

 and preserves. It has also another quality which makes it. val- 

 uable to housekeepers. This is the abundance of pectic acid 

 that substance requisite in making fruit juices "jell" which it 

 contains. By adding equal parts of juice and pulp of the citron 

 melon to such fruits as cherries, blueberries, or others which will 

 not "jell" of themselves, one can make perfect jelly. 



Cucumbers. This crop requires a rich, moist soil, and should 

 be planted in hills, thinned, tilled, and cared for about the same 

 as muskmelons. In a small garden where only a few are desired 

 for home use, they may be planted about a barrel which is partly 

 sunk into the ground and filled with manure. This barrel is flooded 

 with water frequently. 



As cucumbers are nearly all used in the immature state, they 

 are very frequently picked, when more will set on the vines. This 

 may be kept up throughout an entire season. They are used in 

 all stages. The very small ones are pickled whole. In fact, they 

 are pickled in all sizes, up to the large dill pickles. The ripe ones 

 are preferred by many cooks for making sweet pickles. The larger 

 green ones are sliced and used as salad. For either purpose they 

 must be used before the seeds harden. 



Gherkins resemble cucumbers in their appearance and habits 

 of growth, though they are more easily grown than cucumbers. 

 The fruit of the true gherkin i? small, oval and prickly. They 

 make very fine pickles, but are hard to gather, being so small and 

 prickly. A few vines will raise all one family will need. 



Squashes. There are two types of this vegetable the summer 

 and the winter squash. The summer squash is small and is used 



