SQUASHES AND PUMPKINS 



53 



long season and occasionally does not mature in New- 

 York State. 



Mature fruits were produced at Geneva in 135 days, 

 5 days earlier than Kikuza and Saikyo and 20 days 

 later than Japanese Pie. The vines are similar to 

 those of Saikyo and Kikuza except that the gray blotches 

 on the leaves are more numerous than they are on 

 the latter two sorts. The leaves are decidedly darker 

 green than those of Japanese Pie and are distinctly 

 more decurrent, more like those of Bugle Gramma in this 

 respect. The fruits are most like those of Kikuza 

 although smaller than that variety, much more warted, 

 pimpled and more narrowly ribbed. 



Plant trailing; vines slender, dark green, very vigorous, 20-25 

 feet: branches many, basal and medial. Cotyledons moderately 

 short and moderately narrow, ! ! ,xl : , inches; oval; apex rounded, 

 slightly notched; color moderately dark green. Leaves small, very 

 shallowly lobed, distinctly decurrent; margin distinctly incised at 

 the base, otherwise denticulate, slightly frilled; surface smooth and 

 velvet-like; color very dark green moderately marked with small 

 gray blotches along the veins and intersections with veinlets; petiole 

 medium long, 15-16 inches; spines very many, medium long and 

 very slender. Flower — pistillate, moderately large, 6'^-7 inches 

 across, orange; ovary bowl-like, scalloped about the base; sepals 

 long and moderately heavy, l 3 ±-2 inches, with moderately large 

 leaf-like appendages; — staminate, medium large, 5 '2— 6 inches 

 across: sepals % r ery long and heavy, 2 inches, with leaf -like append- 

 ages; pedicle very long, 12-14 inches. 



Fruit small, 5—6 x 8-10 inches; weight 8—10 pounds. Shape 

 oblate, deeply depressed at base, moderately so at the apex; ribbed 

 narrowly; furrowed very deeply; surface rough, profusely and finely 

 warted. Skin color dull bronze-orange crange cinnamon 1 having a 

 very heavy bloom. Fruit stalk medium long and medium heavy, 

 3-4 inches, curved, slightly ribbed, woody and tough, distinctly 

 expanded at the base. Shell moderately hard and medium thick, 

 . inch. Flesh thick to very thick at medial and base, l 1 j-2 ] 2 

 inches, considerably thinner at apex; texture moderately coarse, 

 fibrous, slightly moist: flavor lacking, moderately sweet; quality 

 poor; color variable, yellow to orange blend buff yellow to light 

 orange yellow . Seed cavity very small, nearest the apex; placental 

 tissue abundant, moist, tough, difficult to remove, considerably 

 deeper orange than the flesh. 



Seed small, medium long, narrow and moderately flat, 1.3 x 

 .60 x .26 cm.: very light 500 per oz. ; face moderately smooth, 

 somewhat scaly, dull white cartridge buff ; margin rounded, 

 slightly fuzzy vinaceous buff . 



Golden Cushaw. Refs. 14, 24, 33, 41, 44, 50, 59, 73, 

 89, 90, 115, 129. 130. Syns. Cashaw, Cashew, 

 Cushaw, Cushaw Crookneck, Golden Yellow, 

 Large Yellow Crookneck, Mammoth Golden 

 Crookneck, Mammoth Golden Cushaw 7 , Yellow 

 Cashaw% Yellow Winter Crookneck. 

 The origin of this variety, which today is the most 

 important of its group, remains unknown. It is one of 

 the few pumpkins or squashes which is unsuited, because 

 of too short a growing season, to northern cultivation. 

 Burr in 1893 in writing of Cashew says: " It is not culti- 

 vated or generally known in New England or in the 

 northern portions of the United States; for though well 

 suited to Louisiana and other portions of the South, where 

 it is much esteemed, it is evidently too tender for cultiva- 

 tion where the seasons are comparatively short and cool." 

 Goff in 1884 also found that the Cashew pumpkins would 

 probably mature only in the most favorable seasons. 



This group of varieties with fruits which resemble in 

 shape some of the " Calebasses " of Peru or the West 

 Indies is considered as fine table pumpkins in the South. 

 In early catalogs the use of the name Cushaw did not 

 always refer to the same variety. It is a question as 

 to which of the forms was the best known but it appears 

 that the golden fruited strains produced fruits more 

 slender than the white and green striped kinds. 



Mature fruits were obtained at Geneva in 125 days, 

 5 days later than Green Striped and White Cushaw and 

 10 days later than Japanese Pie. The vines are similar 

 in vigor to those of Green Striped Cushaw but have 

 leaves which are blotched with larger gray areas and 

 have flowers with much longer and broader sepals. The 

 fruits are larger, have a thicker and longer neck and a 

 more abruptly bulbous apex than Green Striped Cushaw. 

 The fruit stalks are distinctly more slender, more curved 

 and tougher than those of Green Striped Cushaw or 

 White Cushaw. 



Plant trailing; vines moderately slender, rather dark green, 

 moderately vigorous, 12-15 feet; branches many, basal and medial. 

 Cotyledons moderately short and moderately narrow, 2 :! g x 1 ' 4 

 inches, long oval; apex moderately rounded; color mottled dark 

 grayish green. Leaves moderately small, 10 x 14 inches, very 

 shallowly 5 -lobed: decurrent; margin slightly incised at the base, 

 otherwise denticulate, slightly frilled; color medium green, rather 

 sparsely marked with moderately large gray blotches at the inter- 

 sections of the veins and veinlets; petiole medium long and moder- 

 ately heavy, 14—16 inches. Flower — pistillate, large, 7 inches 

 across, orange; ovary crooknecked; apex abruptly enlarged, light 

 green in color; sepals long and broad, i-%—2 inches, having leaf-like 

 appendages; pedicle short, 5-6 inches; — staminate, smaller, 6 inches. 



Fruit moderately large, 18-24 inches long, 8-9 inches in 

 diameter at the apex and 4—5 inches at the medial and base; weight 

 10-14 pounds. Shape, medial and base a curved cylinder, apex 

 distinctly bulbous; ribbed widely, most prominent at the bulbous 

 apex and extreme base: furrows shallow; surface smooth; blossom 

 scar prominent, blackened, J£— 1 inch in diameter. Skin color deep 

 cream cinnamon buff; over the entire surface, bloom prominent. 

 Fruit stalk moderately short and medium heavy, 2 ' 2-3 inches, very 

 slightly curved, woody and tough, moderately furrowed, expanded 

 at the base. Shell moderately soft, moderately thin, yj- 1 g inch. 

 Flesh medium thick, 1—1 3 4 inches at the apex, medial and base solid, 

 texture coarse and granular, very coarse and fibrous; color pale 

 salmon 1 capucine orange) ; quality poor. Seed cavity only at apex, 

 moderately small; placental tissue much, moist, very fibrous, cord- 

 like, and tough, difficult to remove. 



Seed medium large; medium long, moderately narrow and 

 moderately flat, 1.70 x .87 x .24 cm. (240 per oz. I; face slightly 

 scaly, dull buff tilleul buff,); margin distinct, wedge-like, brown 

 fawn color). 



Green Striped Cushaw. Refs. 14, 19, 24, 25, 26, 33, 



34, 41, 50, 52, 59, 61, 64, 67, 73, 101, 124, 129, 

 130, 132, 136. Syns. Brother Jonathan, Green 

 Crookneck Winter, Improved Cushaw, Improved 

 Green Striped Cushaw, Improved Winter Crook- 

 neck, Large Winter Crookneck, Maryland Sweet 

 Potato, New Jersey Sweet Potato, Pie Melon, 

 Striped Cushaw, Striped Crookneck. 

 The Green Striped Cushaw when first introduced 

 was known as the Improved Cushaw. The early records 

 and published descriptions of the " Crane-neck " squash 

 tend to show that the cream -colored or light yellow skin 

 antedated the striped forms. Burr in 1893 describes 



