less the diameter of the pores or tubes, the higher 

 the materials are elevated. Hence one very im- 

 portant consideration to the agriculturist, when he 

 wishes nature to aid him in keeping his soil fertile 

 — is to secure soil in a fine state of mechanical di- 

 vision and of a high retentive nature. Nothing is 

 more common than to see certain soils retain their 

 fertility with annual addition of much less manure 

 than certain others. In fact, a given quantity of 

 manure on the former, will seem to maintain their 

 fertility for several years, while a similar addition 

 to the latter quite loses its good effects in a single 

 season. The former soils have invariably the rocks, 

 minerals, &c, which compose them, in a fine 

 state of division; while the latter have their parti- 

 cles more or less sandy and coarse. — S, M. Salis- 

 bury, M. D. 3 in Prairie Fanner. 



PUMPKINS AND SQUASHES. 



We know of no vegetable genus in which there 

 Is so much confusion of names and characters 

 among cultivators, as the Pumpkin and Squash 

 tribe, or Cucurbita of Botanists. Their common 

 name have so multiplied, that a farmer wishing to 

 grow some for his stock, or his table, can hardly 

 tell what to ask for at the seed stores, or what will 

 be the character of his crops when obtained. 



Knowing that T. W. Harris, the distinguished 

 Entomologist of Massachasetts, had been paying 

 special attention to this subject, with the view of 

 some reliable and scientific classification, we ad- 

 iressed him the following queries, to which he 

 has most kindly responded : 



To the Editor of the Farm Journal .---In your com- 

 munication, you request to be informed what is 

 " the distinction, if any, between the Boston and 

 Vegetable Marrow Squash, also between . the 

 Concejt'cufe Field Pumpkin and the cheese Pump- 

 kin , what is the Valparaiso Squash, and is it a de- 

 sirable variety ; what are the distinctive marks of 

 the Winter and Summer Crook-neck Squash, Early 

 Egg or Apple Squash, Pattypan Squash, Turban 

 ■Squash, Cash aw Pumpkin, Mammoth Pumpkin, 

 Acorn Squash ; what are the correct names and 

 synonymes of these kinds ; which of them is most 

 valued in New England for pumpkin pies, and 

 which for stock and field culture ?" 



In September, 1834, Mr. John M. Ives, of Salem, 

 Mass., exhibited in Faneuil Hall, Boston, a new 

 squash, to which he subsequently gave the name 

 of the "Autumnal Marrow Squash." It was figured 

 and described in Fessenden's New England Far- 

 mer, vol. XIII, No. 16, Oct. 29, 1834, page 122, and 

 again in Fessenden and Teshemacher's Horticul- 

 tural Register, vol. I, No. 3, March, 1835, page 93. 

 This fruit thus introduced and brought into notice, 

 soon became a great favorite, and has ever since 

 been extensively cultivated for table use, as a 

 sauce and for pies, in the vicinity of Boston. So 

 popular has it become in the market of Boston 

 that it may be well be called "the Boston Squash," 

 though I never heard that name applied to it. — 

 Mr. Ives, in his description of it, called it a variety 

 of Cucurbita melopepu, which is an error. If not a 

 mere variety of Commodore Porter's Valparaiso 

 Squash, it doubtless descended from the same 

 stock as the latter. It must not be confounded 

 with the kind cultivated in England under the name 

 of " Vegetable Marrow," a very poor vegetable, as 

 I am assured by friends who have eaten it in Lon- 

 don, and apparently one of the sorts which in New 



England would be called Summer Squashes. The 

 "Autumnal Marrow" is eaten only when fully ripe; 

 the "Vegetable Marrow," like your " Cymlings," is 

 eaten only in unripe state. The former comes into 

 eating in September, but may be kept with care 

 till March. When pure or unmixed by crossing 

 with other kinds, it is considered as the very best 

 autumnal and winter squash in New England.-- 

 Many cultivators have allowed it to degenerate or 

 become mixed with the larger and grosser Valpa- 

 raiso, so that we do not often find it in entire puritv 

 in our markets. It generally has only three 

 double rows of seeds. For a description of if ; 

 see the works before eited, also Cole's New Eng 

 land Farmer, vol. I, No. 12, May 26, 1849, p. 1.8-5. 



I am not sure what is the fruit denominated 

 Connecticut Field Pumpkin, and the Cheese Pump- 

 kin is unknown to me except by its name in cata- 

 logues. 



The Valparaiso Squashes, of which there seem 

 to be several varieties, known to cultivators by 

 many different names, some of them merely local 

 in their application, belong to a peculiar group of 

 the genus Cucurbita, the distinguishing characters 

 of which have Hot been fully described by botan- 

 ists. The word squash as applied to these fruits is 

 a misnomer, as may be shown hereafter ; it would 

 fee well to drop it entirely, and to call the fruits cf 

 this group pompions, pumpkins, or potirons. It is 

 my belief that they were originally indigenous to 

 the tropical and subtropical parts of the western 

 coast of America ; they are extensively cultivated 

 from Chili to California, and also in the West In- 

 dies, whence enormous specimens are sometimes 

 brought to the Atlantic States. How much soever 

 these Valparaiso pumpkins may differ in form, 

 size, color, and quality, they all agree in certaia 

 peculiarities that are found in no other species or 

 varieties of Cucurbita. Their leaves are never 

 deeply lobed like those of other pumpkins and 

 squashes, but are more or less five-angled, or 

 almost rounded, and heart shaped at base ; they 

 are also softer than those of other pumpkins and 

 squashes. The summit or blossom-end of the* 

 fruit has a nipple-like projection upon it, consist- 

 ing of the permanent fleshy stile. The fruit-stalk 

 is short, nearly cylindrical, never deeply five-fur- 

 rowed, but merely longitudinally striated or 

 wrinkled, and never clavated or enlarged with pro- 

 jecting angles next to the fruit. With few excep- 

 tions, they contain four or five double row of seedtf. 

 To this group belong Mr. Ives' Autumnal Marrow 

 squash (or pumpkin) before named, Commodore 

 Porter's Valparaiso squash (pumpkin), the so-call- 

 ed Mammoth pumpkin or Cucurbita maxima of the 

 botanists, the Turban squash or Acorn squash, 

 Cucurbita piliformis of Duchesne, the Cashew 

 pumpkin, Cole's Connecticut pie squash, Stetson's 

 Cuba squash, and his hybrid called the Wilder 

 squash, with various others. 



The variety introduced from Valparaiso by 

 Commodore Porter, became known to me about 

 the year 1830, since which time it has been more 

 or less cultivated in New England both for the 

 table and for stock. It is of an oblong, oval shape, 

 of a pale reddish yellow color externally when 

 ripe, nearly smooth, and very slightly furrowed, 

 and often grows to a large size. It readily mixes* 

 with the Autumnal Marrow, but is inferior to it 

 in quality. It may prove better and more valua- 

 ble in the Middle! and Southern States than in 

 New England. 



