238 



THE VINE CROPS 



and will also endure the intense heat of southern summers. Winter 

 varieties, on the other hand, do not thrive in competition against 

 corn, and suffer severely from extreme heat or drought. The 

 summer varieties have hard, dense stems and vines, while those 

 of the typical winter varieties are more fleshy and succulent 

 (Fig. 143). The summer varieties are small fruited and the winter 

 varieties large fruited. 



In addition to the two common types already mentioned, there 

 are also two others that are grown to some extent. One is a small- 

 fruited type resembling the summer varieties in size of fruit, tex- 

 ture of stem, and ability to withstand heat and drought. They 



Fig. 143. — Winter squash, showing typical fleshy stem. 



are, for the most part, running rather than bush varieties. The 

 fruit may be used at an immature stage, like summer squash, 

 and they are also of good quality when mature. They may 

 be kept for winter use the same as the large winter varie- 

 ties. A typical representative of this class of squash is the Perfect 

 Gem (Fig. 144). Another type of squash grown to a limited extent 

 in this country is the Winter Crookneck or Cushaw. It forms 

 long, often curved, fruits of large size, in which the seed cavity 

 is confined to one end, while the rest of the squash is a neck, three 

 to five inches in cUameter, which consists of soUd flesh (Fig. 145). 

 In England the vegetable marrow is used the same as summer 

 squash is in America. It forms a running vine, and is handled 



