178 VEGETABLE GROWING PROJECTS 



8. Planting seed in the garden. — The early or bush varieties 

 are planted in hills four or five feet apart each way, while the late 

 sorts being vining are planted in hills ten to twelve feet apart. 



W:160. W-VG : 428, 429. C:415. 



9. Cultivating. — Thorough tillage for squashes is just as im- 

 portant as for the other cucurbits. 



W:161. 



10. Combating insects and diseases. — Few insect pests are 

 more widely known than the squash bug. The adult, a large brown- 

 ish bug, passes the winter beneath rubbish, or in some conven- 

 ient shelter. About the time squashes come up the bugs emerge 

 and gather on the plants, sucking the juices and causing the leaves 

 to wilt. The eggs, which are deposited in clusters on the under 

 sides of the leaves, hatch in about six to fifteen days, and the 

 grayish nymphs feed on the leaves for four or five weeks, reaching 

 maturity in late summer. The adults are very resistant to con- 

 tact sprays. Trapping the adults or spraying the young nymphs 

 with tobacco decoction are the best remedies. Other sucking 

 bugs attacking squash are horned squash bug, melon leaf bug, 

 the southern and the northern leaf-footed plant bug. 



1. Why is the squash bug more troublesome in gardens than in 



larger plantations ? CL : 117. 



2. Describe the appearance of an injured plant. CL:118. 



3. What is the life history of the squash bug? CL : 118. 



4. Give three control measures. CL; 119. 



5. What other insects attack the squash? CL : 119, 121. 



11. Harvesting and marketing. — The crop should be handled 

 with great care so as to prevent bruising, for any injury may be 



