210 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Phillips, a near neighbor. Those two squashes yielded the 

 seed which produced the first Marrow squashes that were 

 ever introduced into Boston market. It has been changed 

 from its original type. It is larger, and not quite so fine in 

 quality, but it is admirably adapted to meet the wants of pie- 

 makers, and they prefer it to any other variety. There is 

 more of this squash sold, perhaps, than any other. 



A word about the cultivation. The squash wants land such 

 as we call good corn land, with manure spread on and ploughed 

 in, — not very deep. After the ground is harrowed, mark it 

 off with furrows eight feet apart each way ; or you may drag 

 a chain, if you please, to mark the rows, just eight feet apart, 

 but it is necessary to have the rows true and straight ; then 

 throw a little night soil, that has been nicely worked up, or a 

 little manure, or superphosphate, or something of that kind, 

 in the hill, and mix thoroughly with a fork, and plant your 

 seed. Instead of dropping the seed and covering them with 

 the hoe, when I get the ground prepared, I stick the seeds in 

 the hill, five in each hill. I am particular to put them in 

 point down, because, if the ground becomes a little baked on 

 the surface, it is sometimes very difficult for the seeds to 

 come up. They have got to turn over before they can come 

 up. I stick them down, therefore, the little bud first, so that 

 they will start right, which makes a difference of three or 

 four days in their coming up, and that is quite an important 

 difference. 



, The squash has three enemies. One is the striped bug, 

 which attacks it as soon as it comes up. The usual remedy 

 for that is to take an empty tomato can, punch holes in the 

 bottom, put in air-slacked lime, which is finely pulverized, 

 and sprinkle it on the plants. It is very little trouble to 

 provide against the striped bug. Then we have the large 

 black bug, the one that does not smell good. Set a trap for 

 these bugs by sticking a shingle in the ground at an acute 

 angle at night; they will crawl under that shingle, and in the 

 morning you can kill them and get rid of them in that way. 

 Then there is the maggot, which enters the root of the vine, 

 and will kill a single vine entirely. I know of no remedy ; but 

 by putting five seeds in a hill, if the maggot kills but one or 

 two, there will be enough remaining. 



