AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHY, , THE MOST USEFUL , .4 JOT THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAH - Washington 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
V 0 L . XI . ] NEW-YORK, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 1854. [NUMBER 26. 
m^FOR PROSPECTUS, TERMS, Sfc., 
SEE LAST PAGE. 
CULTIVATION OF THE SWEET POTATO 
In warm climates, this plant is cultivated in a 
similar manner as the common potato is with 
us, but requires much more room, for the trail¬ 
ing roots extend four or five feet each way, 
often sending out forty or fifty large tubers to a 
plant. In the Middle and Northern States of the 
Union, the potatoes should be planted in March 
or April, in a hot-bed, or some other warm place 
where, in two or three weeks, they will throw 
out a number of runners or sprouts, which, as 
soon as they reach a height of three or four 
inches above the surface, are taken off, trans¬ 
planted into hills four or five feet apart, in open 
ground, where the soil is light, rich, and pro¬ 
perly prepared, and subsequently may be hoed, 
earthed up, or treated in other respects like the 
common potato. The tubers may be dug and 
eaten as soon as they arc large enough for use 5 
but those intended for winter keeping, should 
not be disturbed before the vines are dead. In 
order to keep them during winter, until spring, 
they should be dried in the sun until the mois¬ 
ture is driven off, sweated in the heap, and 
when dry, packed in dry sand and stored in a 
cool cellar, not subject to wet nor frost. 
Sweet potatoes are considered a much lighter 
food than the common kind, and are equally nu¬ 
tritious. The young leaves and tender shoots 
are often boiled as pot herbs, and are esteemed 
as a wholesome food. 
-»o«- 
THE ACORN SQUASH AND ITS COGNATES. 
Since the publication of “ a Chapter on 
Squashes,” a year ago, we have been favored 
with another season, and additional opportuni¬ 
ties, to pursue our investigations. We added 
to our list for experiment, the Custard Squash , 
We were kindly furnished with the seed by Mr. 
Vose, of Dorchester, Mass., and they proved to 
be genuine. From what we had learned of this 
squash from agricultural papers, we had sup¬ 
posed that it belonged to the class of nippled 
squashes. But the result shows that they are 
much nearer akin to the pumpkin. But a sin¬ 
gle hill was planted, in rich garden soil, and the 
product was nine squashes, weighing from ten 
to twenty pounds each. The weight of the 
whole was not far from 125 pounds. The vines, 
in appearance and growth are much like the 
pumpkin vine, are hardy and vigorous, and less 
liable to the attacks of insects than the nipple 
tribe of squashes. The leaves are very rough, 
and deeply five lobed, and the stem is five fur¬ 
rowed and five angled. The fruit is elongated, 
is deeply ten furrowed, and is furnished with 
three double rows of seeds. In texture and 
quality, it is much like the crook-neck, and in 
our judgment is no improvement upon that va¬ 
riety. We have found it perhaps a little sweeter, 
but more watery, and quite as stringy. It has 
a very thin shell, from which the flesh easily 
peels, when boiled. Its keeping quality is ex¬ 
cellent, and for this it may be desirable to culti¬ 
vate it. We have at this date—Feb. 23—three 
fine specimens left of our winter stock, and they 
are, apparently, as sound as when first taken 
from the vines. The seed is remarkably thin 
and slender. 
The Acorn Squash has fulfilled its high pro¬ 
mise in the second crop we gathered. The first 
seeds we received from Dr. Harris, and they 
were planted in a hot-bed in the spring of 1852. 
The plants suffered some from the attacks of 
insects, but matured several very fine specimens 
of fruit. The squashes assumed three distinct 
types, whether owing to the recent origin of 
this hybrid, or to some accident attending the 
fertilizing of the fruit, from which these seeds 
were taken, we are not able to say. 
No. 1. 
No. 2 . No. 3. 
The stem and nipple, in all three, were alike, 
and the flesh was equally good. Number one 
was much the largest, weighing from 15 to 20 
pounds. The others were smaller, weighing 
from 6 to 12 pounds. Considering numbers 2 
and 3 as the most desirable types of this variety 
to propagate, we selected seed from them, and 
in the crop of last season, we found no recur¬ 
rence of number one. In every instance, the 
fruit was true to the seed sown. The plants 
suffer as much from the attacks of the white 
grub near the root as the Marrow squash. 
These depredators have an epicurean relish for 
all this class of squashes, and it requires the ut. 
most vigilance to save them. We tried a black 
surface—charcoal cinders spread in a circle 
around the plants—as a protection against bugs, 
but could not see that the vagabonds had any 
special horror of that color. They alighted 
upon it, and crawled through it, as through any 
other dirt. We are inclined to think “ the black 
surface remedy” a humbug. We tried a strong 
decoction of quassia, applied with a watering- 
pot, and think it a safeguard, if followed up 
closely. But we very much doubt if there is 
any substitute for thumb and fingers in saving- 
squash plants. The period of special danger 
lasts but a few days, and if the young plants 
can be carried safely through that, a good crop 
is secured. 
The Acorn Squash is, we think, a little more 
vigorous than the Marrow, and, under the same 
treatment, more prolific. The fruit will average 
a quarter larger in size, which is no inconsider¬ 
able advantage to the cultivator. The flesh is 
rather thicker and more solid, and equally good 
in flavor. We regard it as worthy of general 
distribution, and hope that it will soon be offered 
for sale at our seed stores throughout the coun¬ 
try. 
Dr. Harris, after several years’ patient study 
of this tribe of plants, distributes them into 
three natural groups. 
1st. The Summer Squashes—such as the broad 
scalloped, the long and warted, the round, or 
orange, &c. Most of them have upright vines 
which do not run, and feeble tendrils, formed 
rather for clasping brush than for penetrating 
the soil, and aiding the growth of the plant. The 
fruit has usually five double rows of seed; more 
rarely only three double rows. The fruit is fit 
for eating only in the unripe state. When fully 
ripe, the rind becomes whitish or pale, hard and 
brittle, like a gourd shell, and the pulp is dry 
and spongy. The seeds are small and thin, and 
of grayish or dirty yellowish color. 
2 d. Pumpkins and Winter Squashes—includ¬ 
ing our common New-England field pumpkins, 
the crook-necked squashes, the Custard squash, 
and many other kinds. All these have stout 
running vines, strong tendrils, rough leaves, and 
a five angled fruit stem, much enlarged toward 
the fruit. The fruit has only three double rows 
of seed, is fit for eating only when fully ripe, 
and may be kept with care all winter. 
-.•3d. Nippled pumpkins and squashes—such 
as the Mammoth Pumpkin or Potiron, Cuba and 
Valparaiso squashes, the Acorn and Marrow 
squashes, and some others. All these have run¬ 
ning vines with strong tendrils. The leaves are 
rather soft, some of them as soft and velvety as 
those of the Mallow; they are never deep lobed, 
but more often nearly round or heart-shaped. 
The fruit stem is rather short, thick, wrinkled, 
and becomes spongy with age. The fruit has 
usually four or five double rows of seed, more 
rarely only three double rows, and is eatable in 
autumn and winter, only when fully ripe. The 
nipple is an unfailing mark of all this class. The 
flesh is usually of a rich orange color, and re¬ 
markably sweet and fine grained. The seeds 
