LEADING VEGETABLE CROPS 223 



rows are usually laid off in checks, at the intersec- 

 tion of which a good-sized excavation is made and 

 from a peck to a half bushel of well-rotted compost 

 placed in the bottom. Three or four inches of earth 

 should be drawn over this material and the seeds 

 planted from one to ij4 inches deep in this covering 

 of soil. An abundance of seed should be used in 

 order to secure a good stand and provide for the 

 dangers of insect destruction. From ten to fifteen 

 seeds should be planted in each hill. After the 

 young plants have become thoroughly established 

 and begin to vine they should be thinned to from 

 three to four plants to the hill. Squash is extremely 

 tender to frost and should not be planted in the open 

 until all dangers of this kind are passed and the soil 

 well warmed. The bush varieties differ somewhat 

 from the running types in their habits of growth and 

 require less space for their proper development. 



Cultivation should be directed toward keeping 

 the soil loose and mellow, especially about the hills, 

 in order to conserve moisture and induce rapid 

 growth. In localities where heavy rainfalls are 

 common the hill should be slightly raised above the 

 surrounding level. 



The harvesting begins with the bush type of 

 the squash as soon as the fruit is full grown, 

 but before the shell begins to harden. After the 

 shell of this type hardens the fruit is considered as 

 being past its best stage for edible purposes. Just 

 the opposite is true with winter squashes. They are 

 rarely harvested and used before they are thoroughly 

 mature, in which condition the shell becomes ex- 

 tremely hard and resistant. The latter type may 

 be readily stored under proper conditions and kept 

 until early spring. Successful storage is largely 



