SQUASHES AND PUMPKINS 



27 



Although never very popular, it has been kept in trade 

 lists more as a novelty than as a variety of merit. 



Mammoth Whale reached maturity at Geneva in 

 120 days, 5 days earlier than Banana, in season with 

 Winnebago and 5 days later than Hubbard. The vines 

 are more vigorous than those of Banana, have larger, 

 more glossy green leaves and tlowers which are distinctly 

 more velvet-like, pubescent, frilled and curved at the 

 margins. The fruits are much larger, more enlarged 

 at the medial and more greenish gray in color. 



Plant trailing; vines medium coarse, vigorous, 15-18 feet; 

 branches moderately many, basal. Cotyledons moderately long 

 and very broad, 3'i x 2 :i s inches, oval; apex moderately rounded; 

 color medium green. Leaves very shallowly lobed, medium large, 

 10 n 15 inches: margin slightly serrated near the base, otherwise 

 denticulate; surface smooth: color medium green, slightly glossy, 

 petiole medium long, 14-16 inches. Flower — pistillate, medium 

 large. 5'_> inches across, orange; very soft and velvety, heavily 

 pubescent, margins decidedly curved and crumpled; ovary some- 

 what cylindrical, enlarged at the medial and slightly tapering towards 

 base and apex; sepals very short and slender, ! 4 inch; — staminate, 

 moderately small, 4 inches across; petals decidedly curved at the 

 tip, deeply cut, moderately ruffled along the margin; sepals moder- 

 ately short and moderately slender, V| inch; pedicle moderately 

 short, 7-8 inches. 



Fruit very large, 24-30 x 8-10 inches; weight 18-25 pounds- 

 Shape somewhat cylindrical but much enlarged at the medial and 

 moderately tapering towards base and apex; ribbed widely, furrows 

 very shallow and indistinct; surface usually smooth, occasionally 

 somewhat wrinkled. Blossom scar with button prominent, :! [— 1 

 inch. Skin color greenish gray (storm gray) in the form of an 

 irregular lace-like pattern over the entire fruit, blotched with 

 pale gray light olive gray) in the areas between the mesh of the 

 color pattern; also marked with gray (storm gray) streaks which 

 radiate from the apex, one-half to two-thirds length of fruit. Fruit 

 stalk medium long, 3^1 inches, round, straight, rough and corky. 

 Shell moderately soft, moderately thick, ] v 1 j inch. Flesh moder- 

 ately thick at the medial, 1 'j-1 ' 2 inches, thick at the base and apex, 

 1 ' L >-2 inches; texture moderately fine, rather moist, tender, slightly 

 stringy: fair flavor and sweetness; quality fair; color deep yellow 

 dight cadmium). Seed cavity large, conforms to fruit shape; 

 placental tissue abundant, moist, fibrous, not easily removed. 



Seed medium large; medium long and moderately broad, 

 medium plump, 1.8 x 1.14 x .30 cm. (124 per oz.); face wrinkled, 

 glossy white; margin very slightly ridged and corky, medial smooth. 



Marblehead. Refs. 8, 14, 21, 31, 33, 41, 46, 49, 50, 



51, 52, 59, 68, 70, 73, 94, 98, 101, 119, 120, 127, 

 128, 129, 130, 132, 134. Syns. Improved Marble- 

 head, Marblehead Mammoth, New Marblehead. 



Named and introduced in 1873 by James J. H. 

 Gregory 8b Son of Marblehead, Massachusetts, this 

 variety had been grown for many years in gardens of 

 that section but as the stock was considerably mixed 

 in color it had not been offered for sale. The original 

 had been brought from the West Indies to the old 

 seaport town by a Captain Sam Stanley. According 

 to the story told by Mr. Gregory, some years later, a 

 customer from some remote section sent in seed of an 

 unknown sort. When grown this proved to be a pure 

 strain of the sort discarded as mixed and the name 

 Marblehead was then bestowed upon it. The variety 

 never became popular, perhaps because of its slate gray 

 to blue gray color. At that time the orange of the 

 Autumnal Marrow and Essex Hybrid or the green of 



the Hubbard were the colors desired in a good winter 

 squash. 



At Geneva 115 days were required to reach maturity. 

 This was 5 days earlier than Blue Hubbard, in season 

 with Hubbard and 5 days later than Delicious. The 

 vines are slightly less vigorous than those of Blue 

 Hubbard, and have darker green foliage. The fruits 

 are smaller, smoother and more nearly globular at the 

 medial than are those of Blue Hubbard, with the flesh 

 thinner and slightly lighter in color. 



Plant trailing; vines moderately coarse, moderately vigorous, 

 13-15 feet; branches moderately many, basal and medial. Coty- 

 ledons medium long and moderately broad, 2 } 2 x l 5 s inches, oval; 

 apex moderately rounded; color medium green. Leaves very 

 shallowly lobed, medium large, 10 x 15 inches; margin slightly 

 serrated near the base, otherwise denticulate, slightly frilled; color 

 moderately dark green; petiole medium long, 14-15 inches. Flower 



— pistillate, moderately large, 6 inches across, pale yellow ; ovary 

 somewhat fusiform, moderately constricted near the base and 

 apex; sepals medium long and moderately slender, 1-1 J4 inches; 



— staminate, moderately small, 4 inches across; sepals medium long 

 and moderately thick; pedicle moderately short, 7-8 inches. 



Fruit moderately small, 12-14 x 9-10 inches; weight 8-10 

 pounds. Shape medial nearly globular to short oval, abruptly 

 tapering to a point at the apex and abruptly tapering towards the 

 base; surface shallowly wavy and bumpy. Blossom scar with button 

 1 1 ' j inch. Skin color bluish gray, (court gray) and during storage 

 is replaced by a creamy gray (pale pinkish buff). Fruit stalk 

 moderately short, 2 ' o-3 inches, round, rough and corky. Shell 

 very hard and thick, J 1 inch, pale green (lime green) in color. 

 Flesh medium thick at the medial, 1 inch, and thick at the base and 

 apex, l 3 _i-2 inches; texture moderately fine, very firm, slightly 

 tough, moderately dry; moderately sweet, fair flavor; quality 

 moderately good; color pale orange (light orange yellow/. Seed 

 cavity large, placental tissue moderately abundant, dry, stringy, 

 easily removed. 



Seed moderately large; moderately long and medium broad, 

 plump, 2.1 x 1.27 x .50 cm. (84 per oz.); face wrinkled, glossy 

 white; margin rounded, smooth. 



Mediterranean. Refs. 14, 130. 



A fruit of this variety is illustrated in the 1889 cata- 

 log of D. M. Ferry & Co., Detroit, Michigan. It was listed 

 several years earlier by Johnson 8s Stokes and by Frank 

 Ford 8b Son, Ravenna, Ohio. While the name Medi- 

 terranean was given because it was brought in by a 

 ship captain who made regular trips to that section of 

 the world, it is probable that the specimens were picked 

 up at some New World port of call on the homeward 

 journey. 



The fruits of this variety were very much like those 

 of Red China in shape, differing from that variety in 

 being less depressed at the base, thicker, and lacking 

 the prominent crown or acorn ring at the apex common 

 to that variety. The skin color is somewhat more 

 intense red and does not have the stripes of the Red 

 China. 



Plant trailing; vines moderately vigorous, 12-15 feet. Leaves 

 nearly entire, margin undulate, very often retuse at the apex, dull 

 grayish green, sometimes blotched with gray, petioles long and 

 slender. 



Fruit very small; 5-6 x 7-8 inches. Shape distinctly oblate, 

 slightly depressed at base and apex; ribs and furrows practically 

 absent; surface smooth; skin color deep salmon to scarlet; fruit 

 stalk short and thick, corky, swollen at the medial. Flesh thick, 

 sweet, dry, deep yellow in color. 



