PUMPKINS. 



193 



They should be set two feet apart, in rows four feet apart. 

 They need considerable care until started, after which they re- 

 quire good cultivation only and are easily grown. The vines 

 spread on the ground and have a tendency to root at the 

 joints, which should be discouraged by moving them at every 

 hoeing. They are very susceptible to cold weather and should 

 be pulled as soon as the tops are frosted. There are many 

 cultivated varieties in the south. For the northern states, 

 Early Carolina is perhaps the best. 



PUMPKIN. {Cucurbita Pepo. ) 



Native of warm climates. — Annual. — Under the name of 

 pumpkin are grouped a number of gourds, greatly varying in 

 shape, color, size and quality. Some of them are very good 

 for cooking purposes, but they are not generally esteemed for 



table use by those who have 

 become accustomed to the 

 better kinds of squashes: 

 some of them are great 

 yielders and are used for 

 feeding cattle. They may 

 be grown as recommended 

 for squash or. as is most 

 Fig. 103.- Cheese pumpkin. commonly practiced, grown 



amongst the corn, where the seed is planted as soon as warm 

 weather is assured. The seed varies much in size. For re- 

 marks on its flowers and pollination see squash with which 

 they are nearly identical. 



The Variety most generally grown is known as Connecti- 

 cut Field, which is of large size and used mainly for feeding 

 stock. Sugar and Cheese pumpkins are varieties much grown 

 for cooking. 



PvADISHES. ( Baphanus sativus. ) 



Probably a native of Asia. — Annual or, in the case of the 

 winter radish, biennial. — The flower stalks are branched, 

 about three feet high and have white or lilac-colored flowers, 

 but never yellow. The seed is roundish or oval but somewhat 

 flattened, much larger than cabbage or turnip seed, and much 

 more variable in size. Some recent experiments show that 



