282 The Cucurbits 



der to frost and they usually grow, at least in the North, 

 till overtaken by frost or disease. They all demand light 

 and very quick soil. Success lies in gaining an early start 

 and in not allowing the plants to sufEer a check. The one 

 place at vi^hich most people fail in growing these crops is 

 that the young plants do not secure a quick hold. This is 

 usually due to the fact that the soil is not thoroughly well 

 prepared or is not warm and well drained, and there is not 

 sufficient available fertilizer within reach of the young 

 plant. In the North, this quick start is exceedingly im- 

 portant, since the season is so short' that every day must 

 be made to count. In cucumbers, the quick start is not so 

 important as in melons and squashes, since the plants come 

 into bearing earlier. Many fields of squashes in the North 

 are lost because the plants do not get to work before July 

 or August, and then the dry weather comes and the bloom- 

 ing is delayed so long that the young fruits are caught by 

 frost. 



The land should be given the best of surface tillage. 

 The plants and the fruits are succulent and need much 

 moisture, and if this moisture is lost in the spring through 

 lack of proper preparation of the land and neglect of sur- 

 face tillage, a good crop may be impossible, even though 

 the subsequent tillage is perfect. The land should also 

 contain sufficient humus or vegetable matter to hold a 

 good supply of moisture. 



It is ordinarily best to have the plants so vigorous that 

 several fruits set simultaneously. If one fruit sets two or 

 three weeks in advance of the others, it is likely to consume 

 so much of the energy of the vine that the subsequent 

 fruits remain small. In fact, it may be well to pick 



