SQUASHES AND PUMPKINS 



55 



and that its individuality, in many instances, has not been 

 maintained. The name itself is popular and in time 

 may become the accepted name for the group. 



Maturity was attained at Geneva in 125 days, 15 

 days later than Cheese and 5 days later than Calhoun. 

 The vines are much like those of Cheese, but have leaves 

 which are marked with larger gray blotches and shorter 

 and heavier petioles. The fruits are slightly larger and 

 much more variable in shape and color pattern. After 

 storage both varieties have much the same color. 



Plant trailing; vines slender, medium green, vigorous, 15-18 

 feet; branches moderately many, basal and media!. Cotyledons 

 medium long and medium broad, 2 x l^s inches, long oval; apex 

 rounded; veining moderately prominent; color grayish green. 

 Leaves small, 9 x 13 inches, shallowly 5-lobed; decurrent; margin 

 slightly incised at the base, otherwise denticulate, very slightly 

 frilled; surface smooth; color moderately dark green, marked with 

 moderately large gray blotches at the intersections of veins and 

 veinlets and occasionally along the veins; petiole medium long, 

 14-16 inches. Flower — pistillate, very large, 8 inches across, 

 orange; ovary nearly globular, pale green, spotted with creamy white; 

 sepals very short and slender, 3 s inch; — staminate large, 7 ' 'i inches 

 across, sepals moderately long and broad, 1 } o inches, leaf-like; 

 pedicle moderately long 9-10 ii.ches. 



Fruit moderately small, 6-7 x 12-15 inches; weight 12-16 

 pounds. Shape oblate, distinctly flattened, base and apex moder- 

 ately depressed; ribbed widely; furrows moderately shallow; sur- 

 face smooth, slightly wrinkled, leathery; blossom scar large, 1-1 '.i 

 inches in diameter, prominent, blackened and checked blossom 

 remains present. Skin color in the early mature stage consists 

 of a moderately regular lace -like pattern of various shades of 

 green depending upon the age of the fruit, during storage these 

 are replaced by deep cream (cinnamon buff). Fruit stalk medium 

 long, 3-3 ' 2 inches, slightly curved, rough, shallowly furrowed, 

 woody and tough, decidedly expanded at the base. Shell soft 

 and medium thick, '$ inch (warm buff). Flesh moderately thin, 

 :! 4-l inch; texture very coarse and fibrous, juicy and moderately 

 tough; slightly sweet, dull salmon orange (capucine orange); quality 

 poor. Seed cavity large; placental tissue abundant, moist, tough 

 and very fibrous, cord-like, very difficult to remove. 



Seed small; short, broad and moderately flat, 1.37 x .86 x .26 

 cm. (276 per oz. !; face rather rough and slightly wrinkled, buff 

 tilleul buff j ; margin wedge-like, fuzzy, brown (fawn color). 



Kikuza. Syn. Sweet Kikuza. 



Very similar to Chirimen in character of skin and 

 surface of the fruit, this variety of Japanese origin was 

 offered by the Oriental Seed Co. of San Francisco in 1927. 



Mature fruits were produced in 140 days, in season 

 with Saikyo, 5 days later than Chirimen and 25 days 

 later than Japanese Pie. The fruits are thicker and 

 broader than those of Chirimen, and much less wrinkled 

 and warted, also more broadly ribbed and more shallowly 

 furrowed. 



Plant trailing; vine and foliage characters practically the same 

 as those of Chirimen except that the gray blotches on the foliage 

 are less numerous. Flower — pistillate, large, 7 '2-8 inches across, 

 orange; corolla very soft and velvet -like; corolla tube heavily pubes- 

 cent with long hairs; stigma nearly compact, greenish yellow in color; 

 ovary umbraculiform, slightly furrowed; sepals very long and 

 moderately heavy, 2-2 • ( inches, with large distinct leaf-like append- 

 ages; — staminate, moderately large, 6 inches across; sepals medium 

 long and broad, 1 ' 1 1 ' _• inches, occasionally with small leaf-like 

 appendages; pedicle long, 10-14 inches. 



Fruit small, 5-6 x 9-10 inches; weight 5-8 pounds. Shape 

 somewhat drumlike, deeply depressed at the base and moderately 

 at the apex; ribbed moderately narrow; furrows moderately deep; 

 surface rough, warted and wrinkled; skin color is dull bronze orange 



i orange cinnamon I, bloom abundant. Fruit stalk medium long 

 and medium heavy, 3 4 inches, slightly curved, round, smooth, 

 woody and tough, distinctly expanded at the base. Shell moder- 

 ately hard, medium thick, ' * inch. Flesh variable in thickness, 

 1 1 ' j inches at the base; texture fine, moderately dry, tender, 

 crisp; sweet, rather spicy flavor; color deep yellow ideep chrome) 

 somewhat less intense near the shell; quality fair; seed cavity small, 

 in center; placental tissue little, rather moist, tender and easily 

 removed. 



Seed moderately small; moderately short, moderately broad 

 and flat, rather long-necked, 1.46 x .86 x .20 cm. (352 per oz.); face 

 moderately smooth, dull white (cartridge buff); margin slightly 

 ridged, pale buff (vinaceous buff), slightly fuzzy. 



Neapolitan. Refs. 24, 48, 49, 75, 97, 101, 137. Syns. 



Carpet-bag Gourd, Long Naples, Long Naples 



Green Not Ribbed, Long Neapolitan, Naples 



Giant. 



This was described by Burr in 1863 but was not 



generally cataloged in this country. From time to 



time it was listed as a novelty; one of the last so noted 



being that of the Iowa Seed Co. in 1906. The peculiar 



shape of the fruits is responsible for the use of the name 



Carpet-bag Gourd. A smaller fruited strain, Early 



Neapolitan (Early Carpet-bag), was listed by Thorburn 



in 1906; this was also noted by Robinson who says, 



" It is much earlier than the giant form." 



This variety was similar to White Portmanteau in 

 shape, being somewhat more enlarged at the apex and 

 having a more buff -yellow skin color at full maturity. 



Plant trailing; vines moderately slender, moderately vigorous, 

 10-15 feet; leaves medium large, very shallowly lobed, tapered at 

 the apex; color dull green marked with gray blotches along the 

 veins and veinlets; margin slightly sinuate and undulate. 



Fruit medium large, 16-20 inches long, 5-8 inches in diameter 

 at the apex and 4-5 inches at the base and medial. Shape slightly 

 curved, slightly enlarged or swollen at the apex; ribbed broadly; 

 furrowed very shallow, obscurely. Surface moderately smooth. 

 Skin color bright green, at full maturity becoming dull yellow. 

 Flesh moderately thin at the apex, solid at the base and medial; 

 color bright yellow. 



Seeds few, located in the apex only, dull white in color. 



Puritan. Ref. 24. 



Burr in 1863 mentions this variety as " long common 

 to the gardens in the vicinity of the Old Colony." This 

 places its early use in Massachusetts. However, it 

 apparently was not listed in catalogs after the varieties 

 of better quality were known. From the description of 

 the fruits it was a variety quite similar to Tennessee 

 Sweet Potato. 



Quaker Pit-. Refs. 14, 28, 32, 33, 64, 73, 129, 130. 



Quaker Pie is very similar to the Cheese Pumpkins 

 in color and smoothness of the skin but differs in shape. 

 It is quite probable that the variety was a selection from 

 Cheese. W. Atlee Burpee 85 Co., having secured seed 

 from a family of Quakers in Washington County, New 

 York, introduced this variety in their 1888 seed catalog. 

 This moschata has never been widely used but has 

 found favor in some sections because of its uniformity. 



The variety matured in 120 days at Geneva, 10 days 

 later than Cheese and 5 days earlier than Virginia 

 Mammoth. The vines are considerably less vigorous 



