206 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



qualities is its solidity, which, the squash being an article of 

 great bulk, is an item of considerable importance in winter 

 preservation. It is a curious fact that two of the kinds men- 

 tioned above, the crookneck and the autumnal marrow, are 

 supposed to have been introduced by the Indians. 



Champlain found the bell-shaped species, from which came 

 the crookneck, among the Northern Indians in 1605. And 

 Mr. John M. Ives, of Salem, who introduced the autumnal 

 marrow to public notice, says, in a letter to Mr. Burr, giving an 

 account of its origin, that he received the first seeds from a 

 friend of his in Northampton in 1831, and that he was after- 

 wards informed by this gentleman, " that the seeds came 

 originally from Buffalo, N. Y., where they were supposed to 

 have been introduced by a tribe of Indians, who were accus- 

 tomed to visit that city in the spring of the year." The squash 

 thrives well on any rich warm soil, though newly cleared or 

 broken sward-land is said to be the best for it. Being a native 

 of a tropical climate, it is sensitive to cold, and should not be 

 planted until the ground is warm enough to insure germina- 

 tion. The hills should be made from six to eight feet, apart, 

 and a dozen or fifteen seeds planted to the hill. They should 

 be prepared by digging hoicks eighteen inches in diameter, and 

 one foot deep, which should be nearly filled with well-rotted 

 manure. Over this shovild be drawn a little earth, on which 

 the seeds may be dropped, and covered to the depth of an inch. 

 If the soil should be stiff and unyielding, it is an excellent 

 practice to cover with very light sandy loam, or even with sand 

 alone, if care is taken not to let the surface get too dry. The 

 object is to have a loose surface for the seeds to push through 

 when they germinate. When clayey soils become packed, as 

 they sometimes do after a hard rain, it requires considerable 

 force to break the crust, sometimes more than the germinating 

 power possesses, in which case the plant is crippled, or even 

 crushed from the beginning. We have sometimes seen in such 

 cases, the ground broken for the distance of several inches in 

 diameter, and raised to an angle of forty-five degrees, to make 

 room for the shoot. It may be remarked here in passing, 

 that it greatly facilitates the coming up of all flat-shaped seeds, 

 those which literally come up, to plant them in a vertical 

 position, and cover loosely. So necessary is this, that in some 



