CHAPTER XI 



THE CUCURBITS 



Cucumber Pumpkin 

 Muskmelon Squash 

 Watermelon 



The ciicurhits are annuals, groivn for their fruits; they 

 are tender to frost, and require a warm season and a full 

 exposure to sun; they are long-season crops and with most 

 of them a quick start is essential in order that they may 

 mature the crop before frost; they are groivn in hills, as a 

 main crop, planted in the field or in frames, depending on 

 the region and the period at wliich the crop is wanted; 

 they transplant with difficulty tvhen the roots are dis- 

 turbed, and if the plants are started in advance of the sea- 

 son they are grown in pots, boxes or on sods. 



The name " cucurbit " was emplo3'ecl by the writer many 

 years ago for the horticultural designation of these plants 

 of the Cucurbitacese, and the word has become current. 

 Subsequently, the late Dr. B. D. Halsted proposed the 

 shorter name " cucurb/' but it appears not to have come 

 into use. The cucurbits constitute a very natural group, 

 both botanically and culturally. . 



Several other cucurbits aside from those listed at the 

 head of this chapter are in cultivation in this country for 

 food. The true gourds, Lagenaria leucantha {Cucurbita 



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