THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 237 



The cultivation of the squash is substantially the 

 same as that of the cucumber, and it has nearly 

 the same enemies to contend with. Let the hills 

 of the bush sorts be four feet apart each way, and 

 eight feet for the running varieties. The seed is 

 cheap, so use plenty, and plant over from the first 

 to the twenty-fifth of May, until you have three 

 good strong plants to the hill. Three are plenty, 

 so thin out the plants, when six or seven inches 

 high, to this number, and keep the ground clean 

 and mellow. I usually raise my running squashes 

 among the corn, giving up one hill to them com- 

 pletely every seven or eight feet each way. Early 

 bush sorts : White Bush Scalloped, Yellow Bush 

 Scalloped. The Perfect Gem is good for both sum- 

 mer and winter, and should be planted on rich soil, 

 six feet apart each way. The Boston Marrow is one 

 of the best fall sorts; the Hubbard and Marble- 

 head are the best winter varieties. 



When we come to plant musk-melons we must 

 keep them well away from the two above-named 

 vegetables, or else their pollen will mix, producing 

 very disagreeable hybrids. A squash is very good 

 in its way, and a melon is much better ; but if you 

 grow them so near each other that they become 

 " 'alf and 'alf," you may perhaps find pigs that will 

 eat them. The more completely the melon patch is 

 by itself, the better, and the nearer the house the 



