Vegetables vdth Edible Fruits 173 



Cultivating. 



Soon after the earlier leaves appear, the squash plant 

 seems to become weak near the ground, and is easily tossed 

 about from one side to another by the wind, and often is 

 broken off or at least severely bruised. This can be 

 remedied by drawing the earth up to the plants with a hoe, 

 but this should not be carried on so far as to make a hill 

 for them to stand on ; just enough should be drawn up to 

 hold the plant in place. 



As soon as the plants are set in the field, or as soon as the 

 seedlings appear above the ground, the horse and plow 

 should be set to work in the field. If the field is in good 

 cultivation, there is not much use for a hoe ; the filling 

 referred to before can be done with a cultivator. If the 

 season is dry, the top of the soil should be stirred often 

 to conserve the moisture. During drought the weeds 

 should be zealously kept down, as they cause great loss of 

 moisture in the soil. 



When the vines begin to "run" they should grow very 

 rapidly — some have been ascertained to grow fourteen 

 inches in twenty-four hours. Therefore the field should be 

 kept in the best condition before this time. It is a bad 

 practice to pick the vines up and turn them from their 

 course ; they are subsequently so easily broken by the wind 

 that little or no fruit sets. 



When land is high-priced, squashes are planted as a 

 second crop, or at the edge of some other crop, as corn. 



Marketing. 



Squashes are usually marketed in barrels or boxes. 

 While many acres of squash have been grown in the 



