V. SQUASH. 



of it, and will begin to hammer it out of the husks while 

 these are still green. The seed-plants, when pulled up, 

 should be laid in the sun to become perfectly dry, and 

 the seed should be then rubbed off and put by in a dry 

 place. 



191. SQUASH, sometimes called VEGETABLE MARROW j 

 and, though the thing is certainly very good, as a vege- 

 table, and the former name not very flattering, the latter 

 is certainly beyond its merits. This plant, or, rather, 

 this tribe of plants, are of the pumpkin kind. There 

 are several sorts, some for summer use, and some for 

 winter use. The summer kinds that I have, are the flat 

 bush, the long bush, the crooked-necked bush ; that is to say, 

 they grow upright, and branch out like a little bush j 

 whereas the winter sorts run upon the ground like cu- 

 cumberg and melons. The time for sowing all the sorts 

 in England is, about the middle of May, in the south, and 

 perhaps, the first week in June, in the north. The 

 squash is not so tender as the cucumber, and will stand 

 any little frosts that we have in June, though such frosts 

 check them in their growth. To have them early, they 

 should be sowed in a gentle hot-bed in April. Put out 

 into pots in the manner directed for cucumbers. They 

 should be topped, while in the pots, in the manner di- 

 rected for cucumbers : about the middle of May, the 

 pots should be taken out and sunk in the natural ground, 

 and a frame set over them, or they should have a covering 

 of hoops and mats for the night-time, just to keep off 

 the frosts. About the middle of June, they should be 

 planted out in the open level ground, which need not be 

 exceedingly rich. The distance for the bush sorts ought 



