214 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



Cucurbita Succada — Vegetable Marrow. 

 Tills is a species of gourd from Persia, useful for ttie 

 kitchen in every stage of its growth. It is cooked like the 

 egg-plant when young, when half grown it is used as the 

 squash, and baked into pies when matured ; cultivated like 

 the squash, but appears not to be very productive. Hills 

 six feet apart. 



Cucurbita Fcpc — P u m p k i n . 



Also a trailing annual, a native of India and the Levant, 

 with globular or cylindrical fruit. It has become so crossed 

 and intermingled with the squash, that it is difficult to say 

 of some varieties to which species they should be referred. 



The best variety for family use is the Cashaw, a long 

 cylindrical curved variety ; swollen at the extremity, of fine 

 creamy yellow color, very solid and excellent to use as a 

 winter squash and quite as valuable as any for the other 

 purposes. The Valparaiso is also a good A^ariety. Pump- 

 kins are not as particular about soil as melons and 

 cucumbers, but will grow well on any tolerably rich ground 

 It is not best to grow them in the garden, as they will 

 mix and corrupt the seed of the other varieties. They 

 like a soil freshly reclaimed from the woods; the field is 

 the proper place for their cultivation. Plant in March or 

 April, when the main crop of corn is put in ; let the hills 

 be ten feet apart. Hoe frequently and keep clean. Let 

 only one or two plants remain in each hill. Do not earth 

 up the plants, but keep the soil about them light and 

 loose with the hoe, until the vines prevent further culture. 



Use. — In France as well as in New England, the pump- 

 kin is much used for stews and soups. It is quite whole- 

 some, and the most nourishing of any of this family of 

 plants. The best kinds, as Cashaw and Valparaiso, are 



