SQUASHES AND PUMPKINS 



25 



that the first specimen was brought to Marblehead in 

 1 798 from Boston by a market man named Green. 

 The shape of the fruit brought the remark that it was 

 " turned up like a Chinese shoe." It is most probable 

 that this variety came to New England in the hands 

 of a sea captain who secured it in trade from the West 

 Indies or South America. In regard to its use the 

 following was written soon after its introduction: " In 

 the variety Hubbard are to be found many of the 

 fundamental characters which as a table vegetable rank 

 it with the onion and the turnip and for pastry purposes 

 second only to the apple." 



The Hubbard has been repeatedly crossed with 

 many varieties of squash. As a result of these crossings 

 many modern stocks or strains will give a varied assort- 

 ment of shapes and sizes even though they hold to the 

 green color. The Blue Hubbard and Golden Hubbard 

 have many of the characters of the Hubbard, varying 

 chiefly in color, w r hile Kitchenette and Brighton came 

 from a strain which had been selfed in 1914 by Richard 

 Wellington at Minnesota. In 1860 the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society presented a special gratuity to 

 Mr. Gregory for the introduction of the Hubbard squash. 



This favorite and most widely known variety 

 matured in 115 days at Geneva, 5 days earlier than 

 Blue Hubbard, in season with Marblehead and 5 days 

 later than Delicious and Golden Hubbard. The vines 

 are less vigorous than those of Blue Hubbard and 

 Chicago Warted Hubbard, and have smaller leaves and 

 flowers. The fruits are slightly smaller than those of 

 Chicago Warted Hubbard, distinctly smoother skin and 

 have a lighter, less uniformly colored flesh. 



Plant trailing; vines moderately slender, vigorous, 12—15 feet 

 long; branches moderately many, basal. Cotyledons moderately 

 long and moderately broad, 2 3 4 x 1 3 4 inches; oval, apex moderately 

 tapered ; veining moderately prominent ; color grayish green. Leaves 

 very shallowly lobed, moderately large, 9 x 13 inches; margin 

 denticulate, slightly serrated near the base of the blade, moderately 

 frilled; color moderately dark green; petiole medium long and heavy, 

 14-16 inches. Flower — pistillate, medium size, 5-5 ] •_> inches across, 

 pale orange yellow; ovary falcate-fusiform, very fuzzy; sepals 

 short and slender, '_'- :! 4 inch; — staminate, moderately small, 

 4, 1 L >-4 :! 4 inches across; sepals moderately short and slender, 3 4 inch; 

 pedicle moderately short, 7-8 inches. 



Fruit medium large, 12-15 x 8-10 inches; weight 9 to 12 pounds. 

 Shape falcate-fusiform, with the medial nearly globular; ribbed 

 narrowly and irregularly; furrows shallow; surface slightly wrinkled 

 and warted; blossom scar with button moderately prominent, 

 1 j '■'■ , inch long. Skin color deep dull green : dark ivy green I often 

 marked with pale green pea green I narrow stripes which radiate 

 from the apex, varying from one-quarter to one-third the length of 

 fruit, often inconspicuous or nearly absent. After storage the dark 

 green is replaced with a dull bronze green idark olive). Fruit 

 stalk medium long 2 ' -j-3 inches, round, curved, corky. Shell 

 very hard, woody, thick, J 4 '- :1 s inch dime green i in color. Flesh 

 medium thick at the medial, 1-1 '4 inches, often 2 inches near the 

 apex and nearly solid at the base; texture fine, firm, crisp, dry; fine 

 flavor, moderately sweet; quality excellent; color consists of a blend 

 of yellow, greenish yellow and orange, maior portion is dull cadmium 

 yellow). Seed cavity medium size, contains much placental tissue 

 which is moderately moist, tender and easily removed. 



Seeds medium large; medium length and width and moderately 

 plump, 1.9 x 1.17 x .37 cm. (112 per oz.)\ face smooth, glossy white; 

 margin rounded, smooth. 



Kitchenette. Refs. 33, 40, 41, 73, 114, 122, 123, 129. 

 Syns. Baby Hubbard, Kitchenette Hubbard, 

 Little Hubbard. 



Kitchenette, the baby in size and age of Mother 

 Hubbard's family, came as the result cf inbreeding a 

 commercial strain of Hubbard. The work was initiated 

 by Richard Wellington in 1914, at that time Horti- 

 culturist at the Minnesota College of Agriculture. The 

 second year's effort resulted in 47 self-pollinated fruits, 

 seed of which was planted separately. Repeated self 

 pollinations resulted in a number of lines which produced 

 fruits uniform in many characters. Finally some 24 

 lines were established and in 1919 three strains were 

 distributed to a limited number of growers and experi- 

 ment stations. Strain 20 was one of these and its 

 continued use brought many favorable reports as to its 

 desirability. In 1917 John W. Bushnell took over the 

 experimental work on squash and was responsible for 

 its final selection and naming. 



As a premium for membership it was distributed 

 in 1920 by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society 

 and given the name Kitchenette because of its small 

 size. The next year it was offered by the Cashman 

 Seed Co. of Owatonna, and C. J. Lindholm, Minneapolis, 

 Minnesota. 



One hundred and ten days were required for this 

 variety to reach maturity at Geneva, 5 days earlier than 

 Hubbard, in season with Delicious and 10 days later 

 than Quality. The vines are slightly less vigorous than 

 those of Hubbard and have foliage lighter green in color 

 and flowers with turbinate ovaries and distinctly larger 

 sepals. The fruits are about the same size as Delicious 

 and considerably smaller than those of Hubbard. They 

 are much more abruptly tapered at the blossom end, 

 usually more thickened and less curved at the neck 

 than Hubbard. 



Plant trailing; vines moderately slender, moderately light 

 green and moderately vigorous, 10-12 feet; branches many, basal. 

 Cotyledons moderately long and broad, 3x2 inches; oval; apex 

 tapered; veining prominent; color grayish green. Leaves shallowly 

 lobed, moderately small, 9 x 14 inches; margin somewhat undulate, 

 denticulate and slightly frilled; surface smooth and occasionally 

 somewhat crumpled: color moderately light green, very often having 

 a silvery sheen; petiole moderately short, 12-14 inches. Flower — 

 pistillate, medium large, 5-5 J ■> inches, yellow; ovary somewhat 

 turbinated: sepals medium long and moderately slender, 1—1 J^ 

 inches; — staminate, moderately small, 4— 1'_. inches across; sepals 

 medium long and moderately slender, 1 inch. Pedicle moderately 

 short, 7-8 inches. 



Fruit small, 8-9 x 7 1 2~8 1 o inches; weight 5 to 7 pounds. 

 Shape medial somewhat globular; base tapering abruptly to a 

 short constricted neck, slightly curved; apex nearly flat to very 

 slightly pointed, ribbed rather widely; furrows moderately deep; 

 surface moderately wrinkled and warted. Blossom scar with 

 button 1 4 1 ■_> inch long. Skin color deep green (dull greenish black 2) 

 marked with narrow pale green ipea green) stripes which radiate 

 from the apex one-third to one-half length of fruit and conform 

 with the most prominent furrows. Fruit stalk moderately short, 

 2 — 2 } 2 inches, round, slightly curved, rough and corky. Shell very 

 hard and thick, ' 4 inch, pale green (lime green' in color. Flesh 

 medium thick at the medial and apex 1-1 ) 1 inches, solid 2-3 inches 

 at the base; texture very fine, dr>, crisp, tender; sweet, well flavored; 

 quality good; color deep yellow cadmium yellow). Seed cavity 



