The Storage of Blue Hubbard Squash 



by 



A. F. Yeager, M. C. Richards, T. G. Phillips, Tatiana Levcowich, 



and Raymond W. Barratt 



MOST of the S([uash produced each year in New Hampshire can- 

 not be used at harvest time. Thus, the problems of keeping the 

 squash without loss from diseases and in an edible condition are of 

 interest both to the grower and consumer. It is possible to store 

 squash, as is demonstrated by the New England tradition of squash 

 pie for Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. The grower who can 

 store squash after December gains greatly, for studies show that 

 ])rices usually increase after that time. The consumer also gains in 

 that the consumption period for squash is lengthened. 



Experiments on squash storage have been conducted by Cum- 

 mings ct. a!. (3, 4), Stuart (7). and others. The diseases causing 

 squash rots in storage have been studied by Boyd (1, 2), Guba and 

 Gilgut (5). and Ramsey et. al. (6). Individual growers have also 

 studied the problems of squash storage and have arrived at varying 

 conclusions as to the best methods and means of storing Blue Hub- 

 bard squash. 



Squash Storage Tests in 1941 



The first squash storage experiments at the University of New 

 Hampshire were made in 1941, when a test was undertaken to deter- 

 mine the effect of stem length on keeping. At that time, certain New 

 Hampshire growers considered it necessary to leave a piece of the 

 vine on each side of the stem when the squash was harvested, a cus- 

 tom not common elsewhere. To determine whether this was desirable, 

 50 squash were cut leaving a part of the vine on each side of the stem 

 attached to tlie fruit. An equal number were cut leaving" a stem of 

 several inches but no attached vine. Data taken on the amount of 

 spoilage showed no measurable difference in losses between the two 

 methods. A considerable amount of spoilage occurred, in both 

 cases, at the stem end. Healthy squash lost about 15 per cent weight 

 during the storage period, September 20. 1941. to February 15. 1942. 



1942 Experiments 



In the spring of 1942, more elaborate storage experiments were 

 ])lanned. A special field of Blue Hubbard squash was planted for 

 test purpose. Shelves were constructed for storage purposes. Sev- 

 eral objectives were chosen for investigation, one of which was to 

 find the effect of the maturity of the squash on keeping quality. To 

 determine this, squashes which set on the vines before the first of Au- 

 gust, classed as earl\ set, were marked bv scratching the skin. Others 



t5 



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which set between the first and fifteenth of August were also marked 

 and called medium. Other fruits which set after the first of August, 

 but which appeared to be well matured at harvest, were classed as 



