28 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



Middleton Blue. Refs. 127, 134. 



When the Hubbard was first cultivated there was 

 also a variety known to James J. H. Gregory 8s Son 

 as Middleton Blue. This was considered to have come 

 from South America and to have been crossed with 

 Hubbard, the cross giving rise later to the Blue Hubbard. 

 The Middleton was named for a town north of Boston 

 where Gregory grew many of his seeds. Just how the 

 Middleton differed from the Marblehead is not known. 



Ohio. Refs. 16, 50, 101, 137. Syns. Autumnal Marrow 

 (Vilmorin), California Marrow. 



This name which is found in the 1883 edition of 

 Les Plantes Potageres probably refers to a squash s*milar 

 to Autumnal Marrow. Burr in 1863 mentioned the 

 Courge d'Ohio of Vilmorin as a definite synonym cf 

 Autumnal Marrow but Goff in 1883 gave them sep- 

 arate descriptions, the chief separatory character being 

 in the pock-marked appearance en the surface of Autum- 

 nal or Boston Marrow fruits. This is additional evidence 

 to indicate that there existed several slightly differing 

 forms or strains of this popular variety. 



Many fruits of this variety were somewhat like 

 Boston Marrow in shape, although usually more turbi- 

 nate. The skin color was considerably lighter and the 

 surface lacked the pebbled, pock-marked roughness 

 common to that variety. 



Plant trailing: vines slender, pale green, vigorous, 16-20 feet; 

 branches many. Leaves large, very shallowly lobed, deep green; 

 margin sinuate, apex rounded; surface very smooth; petioles long 

 and slender. 



Fruit moderately small, 12-14 x 8-9 inches; shape oval to 

 somewhat turbinate, thicker at the base and tapering to the apex; 

 ribbed broad; furrows moderately shallow and narrow; surface 

 smooth. Skin color salmon pink marked with a small greenish 

 area about the button; shell moderately hard. Fruit stalk short 

 and thick, corky and soft. Flesh moderately thick, texture fine, 

 dry, tender, well flavored, color orange; quality good. 



Olive. Refs. 14, 48, 49, 50, 101, 137. Syns. French 

 Olive, New Olive. 



This is a squash which in shape resembles the fruit 

 of the olive. The variety was listed by W. Atlee Burpee 

 & Co. of Philadelphia in 1884 and by Gregory a year 

 later. It was known to Vilmorin a few years earlier 

 but the actual place of origin is unknown. This variety 

 still carried in European lists was not offered after 1890. 



The shape of the fruit was very much like that of 

 the Ohio, being somewhat more slender and definitely 

 more tapered at the base. The skin color was apparently 

 much like that of Black Zucchini summer squash. The 

 leaves were more noticeably lobed than other maxima 

 varieties and apparently had a more definitely tapered 

 terminal lobe. 



Plant trailing; vines slender, very vigorous, pale green, leaves 

 large, very shallowly lobed, apex distinctly tapered; margin coarsely 

 undulate, surface very smooth, clear green; petioles long and slender, 

 pale green. 



Fruit small, 10-12 x 5-6 inches; weight 6-10 pounds. Shape 

 oval, somewhat pointed at the apex and rounded at the base; 

 surface smooth; skin color dark green, finely mottled and shaded 

 with yellowish green. Flesh moderately thick, very dry, sweet, 

 well flavored, yellow; quality good. 



Opass. Syn. Japanese Turban. 



The Colorado Seed Co., Denver, Colorado, first 

 listed this variety in 1932, the seed having been secured 

 from a Japanese garde-ner. The peculiarly striped button 

 or acorn-like blossom end is strikingly similar to fruits 

 shown in a recent Russian publication (22). 



The variety matured at Geneva in 120 days, 5 

 days earlier than Essex Hybrid, in season with Blue 

 Hubbard and 5 days later than Bay State. The vines 

 are slightly less vigorous than those of Bay State with 

 leaves more coarsely blistered and marked with a silvery 

 sheen on the foliage similar to that of Blue Hubbard, 

 and flower petals which are more deeply cut and 

 broadened at the apex than any other variety. The 

 fruits are slightly larger than Bay State and Essex 

 Hybrid, more regular and have a more prominent and 

 regular blossom end scar with very distinct coloration. 



Plant trailing; vines medium coarse, moderately vigorous, 

 12-15 feet, moderately dark green, particularly near the base; 

 branches few, basal. Leaves very shallowly lobed; margin slightly 

 serrated at the base, otherwise denticulate; very slightly frilled; 

 surface moderately smooth, occasionally somewhat coarsely blistered; 

 color moderately dark green, often covered with a light silvery 

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

 medium large, 5-5 J 2 inches across, pale orange, ovary drum-like, 

 pale green, mottled with creamy green; stigma much expanded, 

 often four-lobed; sepals medium long and very slender, 1 inch; 

 — staminate, small, 3 3 .1-4 inches, corolla deeply cut, margin frilled, 

 apex of petals broad and tapering towards base as contrasted to 

 tapered petals of most varieties; sepals moderately short and medium 

 thick, 3 4-l inch; pedicle very short, 4-5 inches. 



Fruit moderately small, 6-7 x 13-14 inches; weight 15-18 

 pounds. Shape drum-like, distinctly flattened, depressed at the 

 base and apex; ribbed rather narrowly; furrows moderately deep; 

 surface bumpy, wrinkled, and pock-marked. Acorn very promi- 

 nent, 5-5 ' 2 inches in diameter and has 3—4 projections, streaked 

 with alternating, irregular bands, dull brown 1 tawny olive ' and 

 various shades of cream 1 cream < and yellow honey yellow'. Skin 

 color covered with a coarse irregular lace-like pattern of dark brown- 

 ish green (olivaceous black); within the mesh, which varies in 

 diameter from ys~ 1 2 inch, is salmon red (dragon's blood red'. 

 Fruit stalk moderately short, 2 ' £-3 inches, slightly curved, distinctly 

 tapering, rough, soft and corky. Shell moderately hard and thick. 

 }4 inch. Flesh moderately thick at the base and medial, 1J^— lj^ 

 inches, moderately thin at the apex, ! 4-l inch; texture medium 

 fine, slightly fibrous, tender, slightly moist; moderately strong 

 flavor; quality fair; color bright orange yellow 1 orange buffi. Seed 

 cavity large; placental tissue medium amount, moderately dry, 

 rather difficult to remove. 



Seed moderately large, moderately long, moderately narrow 

 and moderately plump; face wrinkled, glossy white; margin rounded, 

 smooth. 



Possum Nose. Refs. 14, 49, 50. 



W. Atlee Burpee & Co. of Philadelphia in 1884 

 and James J. H. Gregory in 1885 cataloged this small 

 fruited variety. Apparently it had little merit for it 

 was not offered by the introducer after 1892. In the 

 catalog of Wm. Henry Maule of Philadelphia for 1889 

 is an illustration of Possum Nose which shows a fruit 

 similar to that of Mammoth. This was also described 

 in the catalog of Samuel Wilson, Mechanicville, Penn- 

 sylvania, and J. A. Everitt of Indianapolis, Indiana. 

 The description is based on the strain grown at Geneva 

 by Goff. 



