54 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



the Puritan, which produced a white or creamy white 

 fruit marked and striped with green. This was similar 

 to the markings of Tennessee Sweet Potato. It is quite 

 probable that the striped form of the Cushaw was one 

 of the native varieties of the West Indies but that it 

 became a cultivated form after the development of 

 Golden Cushaw. In present day catalogs this is the one 

 most generally listed. 



Mature fruits were produced at Geneva in 120 days, 

 5 days earlier than Golden Cushaw, in season with White 

 Cushaw and 5 days later than Japanese Pie. The vines 

 are similar in vigor to those of White Cushaw and 

 Golden Cushaw, but the leaves have smaller and more 

 numerous gray blotches and have flowers with much 

 shorter and narrower sepals. The fruits are smaller, 

 have a more slender, shorter and more curved neck, 

 and a larger, more gradually tapering, bulbous apex 

 than Golden Cushaw. The fruit stalks are more like 

 those of maximas, being decidedly heavier, much shorter, 

 straighter and more spongy than those of Golden Cushaw. 



Plant trailing; vines very coarse and heavy, moderately dark 

 green, moderately vigorous, 12-15 feet; branches very few, medial. 

 Cotyledons medium long and medium broad, 2Yi x 1/8 inches, long 

 oval; apex tapered; veining very prominent; color mottled dark 

 grayish green. Leaves medium large, 10 x 15 inches, shallowly 

 5-lobed; decurrent; margin incised at the base, otherwise denticu- 

 late, frilled; surface slightly blistered; color moderately dark green, 

 sparsely marked with small gray blotches at intersections of veins 

 and veinlets; petiole moderately long and heavy, 15-18 inches. 

 Flower — pistillate, large, 7 inches across, with very much curved 

 and crumpled margins, orange; ovary crooknecked with enlarged 

 apex, pale green mottled and streaked with pale yellow; sepals short 

 and very slender, 1 j- 3 4 inch; — staminate, moderately large, 6 1 £-7 

 inches across, with margins of petals distinctly curved and crumpled; 

 sepals medium long and medium heavy, 1 inch; pedicle short, 5—6 

 inches. 



Fruit medium large, 16-20 inches long, 8-10 inches in diameter 

 at the apex and 4—5 inches at the base; weight 12-16 pounds. Shape 

 crookneck, decidedly curved at the base, abruptly enlarged at the 

 apex; surface smooth; blossom scar i 2~ 3 4 inch in diameter. Skin 

 color very pale cream (ivory yellow) striped with a coarse, lace-like, 

 dark green dark dull yellow green) color pattern, extending length- 

 wise of the fruit in bands about two inches broad. Fruit stalk 

 moderately short and thick, 2 x IJ4 inches, nearly round, rather 

 spongy and soft. Shell moderately soft, thin at the apex, rj inch, 

 much thicker at the base and medial. Flesh medium thick, 1 inch 

 at the apex, solid at the base; texture coarse and fibrous, tough, 

 moist; pale cream (maize yellow) color; slightly sweet, quality poor. 

 Seed cavity large, at apex; placental tissue abundant, rather moist, 

 fibrous, often chunky, difficult to remove. 



Seed medium large; medium long, moderately narrow and 

 medium plump, 1.9 x 1.05 x .35 cm. (128 per oz.); face rough and 

 wrinkled, often pitted, white; margin wedge-like, fuzzy, buff (vin- 

 aceous buff) in color. 



Japanese Pie. Refs. 14, 27, 31, 33, 41, 45, 61, 63, 64, 



73, 129, 130. Syns. Chinese Alphabet, Green 



Cushaw, Japan Crookneck, Japan Pie, Japanese, 



Japanese Alphabet, Japanese Crookneck, Japanese 



Pumpkin, New Japanese, Nippon Island. 



With the statement, " This excellent new variety of 



pumpkin comes from Japan " Samuel Wilson, Mechanics- 



ville, Pennsylvania, introduced in 1884 what he called 



Japanese Pumpkin. Its use spread rather rapidly for it 



had several characteristics which were well suited to 



advertising. One of these, a seed character, strangely 



enough had little to do with either the suitability, pro- 

 lificacy, or quality of the variety. The seeds, " curiously 

 marked or sculptured in the manner of Chinese letters," 

 led to the name Chinese or Japanese Alphabet Squash and 

 because of this the variety was widely grown as a novelty. 

 In 1890 Gregory described it as " closely resembling the 

 old-fashioned Crookneck of the North and the Cashaw 

 of the South; but differs from the former in having a 

 fleshy stem and from the latter in the peculiar marking 

 of its seed and from each in being superior in quality." 

 Its chief use has been for canning and as food for stock. 

 At Geneva this variety matured in 115 days, 5 days 

 earlier than Green Striped Cushaw, and 5 days later 

 than Tennessee Sweet Potato and Cheese. The vines 

 are slightly less vigorous than those of Green Striped 

 Cushaw, have slightly smaller leaves which are distinctly 

 lighter green and marked with larger gray blotches. 

 The flowers are much smaller, more prominently veined, 

 and the petal margins are more recurved. The fruits 

 are much darker green, less curved, and have a larger, 

 thicker fruit stalk. The surface of the seeds is distinctly 

 more cracked and pitted than those of any other variety. 



Plant trailing; vines moderately coarse, very dark green, 

 moderately vigorous, 10-12 feet; branches medium number, basal 

 and medial. Cotyledons medium long and medium broad, spoon- 

 like, apex rounded; veining prominent; color moderately light green. 

 Leaves moderately small, 11 x 13 inches, broadly 5-lobed; decurrent; 

 sinuses very narrow, acute; margin slightly incised at the base, 

 otherwise denticulate; surface smooth; color moderately light green, 

 profusely and distinctly marked with medium large, light gray 

 blotches at the intersections of veins and veinlets; petiole medium 

 long and slender, 12-15 inches; spines very few, short and slender. 

 Flower — pistillate, moderately small, 4. 1 o-5 inches across, orange; 

 margins of petals recurved, distinctly undulate, veins green, very 

 prominent; ovary long pyriform; sepals very short and moderately 

 heavy, '4 inch; — staminate, moderately small, 4'_.-5 inches across, 

 petals same as pistillate; sepals short, moderately broad and slightly 

 flattened, 5 s inch; pedicle short, 5-6 inches. 



Fruit moderately small, 15-18 inches long, 7-9 inches in diameter 

 at the apex and 4-5 inches at the base and medial; weight 10-14 

 pounds. Shape, base and medial a moderately curved cylinder, 

 apex abruptly enlarged, bulbous; surface nearly smooth at the 

 bulbous tip, with base and medial rough, heavily corked and cor- 

 rugated; blossom scar with button, very slightly extended. Skin 

 color consists of alternating very dark (dull blackish green) and 

 moderately dark green i Varley's green ) lace-like stripes through the 

 mesh of which appears a light green (deep turtle green); often 

 obscure differentiation. Fruit stalk moderately short and very 

 thick, 2-2 J 2 x l 3 4-2 inches, nearly round, straight, soft and corky. 

 Shell moderately soft and medium thick, ' y inch. Flesh moderately 

 thin at the apex, 3 i-l inch, solid at the base and medial; texture 

 moderately coarse, slightly fibrous, juicy; slightly sweet, yellow 

 (buff yellow); quality poor. Seed cavity medium small, at apex; 

 placental tissue abundant, moist, tender, rather easily removed. 



Seed medium large; medium long and broad, moderately 

 plump, 1.85 x 1.04 x .45 cm. (136 per oz.); face rough, distinctly 

 creased and pitted, itilleu! buff); margin distinctly wedge-like, 

 fuzzy (pinkish buff). 



Kentucky Field. Refs. 33, 73, 130. Syns. Indiana 



Cornfield, Indiana Field, Kentucky Large Field, 



Kentucky Mammoth, Large Yellow Kentucky 



Field, Mammoth Kentucky Field, Sweet Cheese. 



By many Kentucky Field is considered identical to 



Cheese. The two varieties are quite similar and it is 



probable that Kentucky Field was selected from Cheese 



