356 



to its merits as a fine new garden production, and of the pe- 

 culiar form of its seeds, the shape of its stem, the character 

 of its skin or rind, and the delicacy of its flesh for cooking 

 purposes, especially in regard to its grain. This led him to 

 point out the differences between the squashes properly so 

 called, and i\\Q pumpkins, to which the Marrow and Hubbard 

 really belonged : the squashes being coarser and fibrous, 

 while the pumpkins were drier and sweeter, and devoid of 

 fibre. He considered the Hubbard the best article for that 

 • Yankee "institution," pumpkin pie, far before the old field 

 pumpkin, with its golden rind so temptingly splendid in the 

 "late October's sun." He claimed for the American trophies 

 the squash and pumpkin, erroneously attributed to the East 

 Indies, and believed that many kinds were early known among 

 the Indians, from whom our Puritan gardens may have re- 

 ceived them. He also recommended to those curious in such 

 matters, Mr. J. J. H. Gregory's valuable article on the 

 " Hubbard Squash," which appeared in the February number 

 ofHovey's Magazine, and insisted with the writer on the im- 

 portance of preserving, with zealous care, the purity of the 

 seeds of all new varieties of garden and field husbandry ; 

 also, of preserving specimens of such seeds for any future 

 comparison. As a department of the Institute's herbarium 

 is devoted to this special purpose, it is to be hoped that this 

 hint will be taken, and that our cultivators will forward 

 authentic specimens of valuable seeds for preservation. 

 Small parcels of such seeds or specimens of the smaller fruits 

 originating among them — the former in papers, and the lat- 

 ter in vials or bottles filled with alcohol, and marked with 

 the name of the variety and that of the donor, — will be 

 carefully preserved by the Curator. 



Some conversation followed, in which Messrs. L. Wood- 

 berry, George P. Bradford, T. Ropes and ©thers participated. 



Dr. R. H. Wheatland called the attention of the meeting 



