AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Farmers a Benevolent Class. 
The Mayor of a city in a South-western State, 
in a business letter remitting subscriptions for 
the Agriculturist adds : “ Although it is nearly 
thirteen years since I turned out my team in the 
field (in Jefferson County, N. Y., where I was 
raised a farmer,) and left the old plow to be man¬ 
aged by other and perhaps more skillful hands, I 
still long for a sight at that old favorite home, 
where was wont to sparkle at this season of the 
year a bright blazing fire, which none other 
know how to enjoy like the thrifty farmer and his 
household. And here allow me to thank you for 
your truly valuable journal. I say truly valuable, 
tor so it will prove to every intelligent man who 
carefully and thoughtfully peruses its well stored 
columns. I have yet a lively interest in every im¬ 
provement calculated to benefit the industrious 
farmer, and enhance the value of his labor. His 
honest and respectable calling renders him not 
only the most happy and independent of all class¬ 
es ; but he is an ornament to society, and a useful 
member of the community in which he lives ; for 
kc has a heart to feel, and a hand ever ready to 
relieve the sufferings of his fellow beings, who 
perchance, have been less fortunate than himself. 
His sleigh carries wheat and wood to the widow, 
and his flocks clothe her orphan children. I really 
believe that in the great day of accounts, when 
that innumerable host of Good Samaritans shall 
come forth to receive their just rewards, it will be 
found that a large proportion of the throng have 
been farmers, tillers of the soil, whose silent un¬ 
seen acts of charity have not been heralded on 
earth ; and to them it shall be said : “Well done.. 
in as much as ye did it unto one of the least of these 
of my brethren, ye did it unto me”.Indeed 
it is to this worthy class, the farmers, that our 
country is indebted for its wealth, and the exalt¬ 
ed position it. now occupies among the nations of 
the earth.” 
“ Snake Cucumber.” 
Mr. David D. Prettyman, of Portland, Oregon 
Territory, sends us a photograph of what he calls 
a “ Snake Cucumber,” and which he considers 
a curiosity. The above engraving is as near a 
representation as we can make of it, the photo¬ 
graphic picture having become partially dimmed 
on its long voyage. He describes it to be 31£ 
inches in length, and only a little over one inch in 
diameter at its largest part. It grew in a coil, 
just as here shown. We have no further partic¬ 
ulars as to whether it is a native, wild variety or 
some old kind, which has taken a sportive form in 
its new locality. We are also not informed wheth¬ 
er all the cucumbers on the same vine grew in 
this manner, nor whether it has edible value. 
We thank Mr. P. for the trouble he took to pro¬ 
cure and forward the accurate picture. 
Fig. 1. 
The Hubbard Squash. 
Recently not a little interest has been excited 
in various parts of the country, in reference to the 
Hubbard Squash. Cuts of it, all apparently from 
duplicates of the same engraving (with a single ex¬ 
ception) have appeared in many of the agricultur¬ 
al papers ; while the uniformity in the descriptions 
indicates that these also have mainly originated 
from one source. But though we have heard 
these facts urged against its claims, the objec¬ 
tions are hardly tenable, for we hold that if any 
man has a good thing, it is his duty, aside from 
his own interest, to disseminate it as widely as 
possible by all fair means. It usually or often 
happens that a really valuable article only be¬ 
comes known under the stimulus of personal in¬ 
terest. It is the duty of the public, however, to 
examine into the character of the evidence where 
it is mainly confined to individual testimony. We 
were at first disposed to give this new candidate 
to public favor, the Hubbard Squash, a convenient¬ 
ly “wide berth,” until its claims were more gen¬ 
erally tested. Recently, however, we have re¬ 
ceived from a few subscribers in different parts of 
the country, very strong commendations of it, and 
we believe they have spoken from personal knowl¬ 
edge. 
A friend in Maine sent us a specimen, which he 
assured us was of the purest quality, and we have 
prepared the accompanying engravings from it— 
fig. 1, to illustrate its general outward appear¬ 
ance, and fig. 2, to show its internal structure, 
thickness of flesh, etc. (We suggest that this 
plan of showing the internal structure of veget¬ 
able productions should be generally adopted, just 
as has been hitherto done with fruits.) 
The color is a dull, dark green. The skin is 
thick and hard, as much so as that of a Summer 
Squash. It is also closely covered with knots, or 
warty protuberances not very prominent. 
This specimen became a little wilted while lying 
cut open at the Artist’s for two or three days, 
but when cooked, it proved sufficiently good to 
warrant us in giving it a high commendation for 
flavor, fine grain and solidity. We have since 
received fresh specimens from other sources, va¬ 
rying a trifle only in size, form and color from the 
one here illustrated. On trial, both by boiling and 
baking, they gave good satisfaction, and we will 
not contest the claim that this variety is supe¬ 
rior in quality and flavor, to even our old and long 
tried favorite, the Boston Marrow Squash. Two 
correspondents in Maine, one in New-Hampshire, 
two in Massachusetts, and two or three elsewhere 
have assured us that it is a much better “keep¬ 
er ” than the Boston Marrow or any other varie¬ 
ty they have known. One or two have stated 
that it answers well also for a Summer Squash. 
If with these qualities, it proves also to be as 
good a producer in various parts of the country, 
as some of its predecessors, it will deserve the 
highest rank. The seed will be somewhat scat¬ 
75 
tered the present Spring, and the coming season 
will afford ample opportunity to test all these 
claims. The seed is not abundant enough to war¬ 
rant us in placing it in our list for general distri¬ 
bution. (That list is indeed already inconvenient¬ 
ly large). 
Of the origin and history of the Hubbard Squash 
we know nothing beyond what we find in the ad¬ 
vertising circular of Mr. Gregory, who last sea¬ 
son cultivated it somewhat largely for the seed. 
He says: “ The first specimen was introduced 
into Marblehead, Mass., over forty years ago, and 
its cultivation was probably confined to a single 
individual for upwards of twenty years. About 
fifteen years since, we received seed from. Mrs. 
Elizabeth Hubbard, (after whom I eventually 
named it),and have continued its cultivation to this 
date... 
It is a little singular that a vegetable with so 
valuable claims, should have remained so long 
confined to a single locality. This has, however, 
been the case with some excellent varieties of 
pears, apples, etc., and we might add, (though not 
for a depreciating comparison) with the Dioscorea 
Batatas or Chinese Yam, which is reputed to have 
fed the millions of China from time immemorial, 
but was never heard of elsewhere until recently. 
- m* 4 W|Ol> ■ ' - ►-«*- 
Written for the American Agriculturist. — Prize Articles 
The Dairy.III. 
MODES OF FEEDING, ETC. 
Whether for the butter, or cheese dairy, the 
proper way of feeding and treating the cow is 
alike essential; and as, in discussing the subject, 
we must begin at one end of tho season, or the 
other, we will commence in the Spring, when the 
cows are first turned to grass. In doing this, we 
shall premise that the last fall’s pasture has not 
been gnawed to the bare sod ; but that when the 
first snow had fallen, or the severe frosts had 
warned the dairyman that his cows required 
winter shelter and stable food, the pastures had 
yet left, upon some portions of them, considera¬ 
ble grass, which although frost bitten, would 
still longer afford more or less nourishment. In 
the long and sunny days of spring, while yet 
too early to turn out to the pastures “for good,” 
the cows are apt to either lie restless in their 
stalls, or wander about the barn yards, uneasy to 
get again to the ground for a taste of the new, or 
a bite of the last year’s grass, which to them 
is a grateful change for the appetite, although of 
little account in the way of nutriment. There¬ 
fore, after receiving their accustomed morning’s 
hay, and whatever additional, if any thing, is 
given them, it is a good plan to turn them out for 
a few hours’ forage on the turf, if the pastures are 
sufficiently dry, so that they will not suffer from 
th» treading of their feet. They will remain 
longer or shorter, as the weather or what they 
may find in the way of food will tempt them— 
and without particular injury to the voung grass 
