Vegetable Growing in Colorado. 31 
Harvesting and Storing .—The summer squashes are edible 
only before the shell begins to harden. As long as it is possible to 
cut through the skin with a slight pressure of the thumbnail, the 
squash is in edible condition, but after it becomes more resistant, it 
is not fit to be put on the market. 
With the late-keeping kinds, however, the harder and more 
resistant the shell, the better. This type is not used until mature, 
and their hard shells enable them to be kept for some time in stor¬ 
age. In harvesting them, a small portion of the stem should be 
left attached to the squash and care observed so as not to bruise 
the fruits. They should be left in the field as long as possible in 
the fall, but must not be subjected to freezing weather. They will 
•keep fairly well in dry, comparatively dark, cellars where the tem¬ 
perature ranges from 38° to 45 0 F. 
SWEET POTATOES. 
Sweet potatoes, while not adapted to all parts of the state, can 
be successfully grown at the lower altitudes in the southern part of 
the state. 
Soil .—A rich sandy loam is desirable for growing sweet po¬ 
tatoes. The soil should be well prepared and fertilized with stable 
manure. In the south, low ridges are usually thrown up and the 
sets planted on this, but the ground may be left flat. 
Planting .—Sweet potatoes are propagated by means of sets, 
which are grown in large numbers from the smaller-sized potatoes 
placed in a hotbed a few weeks before planting time. A manure 
hotbed should be prepared in the usual way and the manure cov¬ 
ered with about three inches of sandy soil. The potatoes are placed 
on this just far enough apart not to touch and covered with three 
inches of good sandy soil. This hotbed should be made about April 
1st to 15th and the plants set in the field as soon as danger of frost 
is past. 
The slips are ready to pull when about six inches high, and, 
after the first crop of sets is removed, a second crop will come up 
to take its place. They are removed by holding down the mother 
root with one hand and pulling the sets off with the other. 
The plants are set about fifteen inches apart in rows three and 
a half or four feet apart. 
Thorough cultivation to prevent weed growth should be given 
until the vines begin to run, after which horse-drawn implements 
cannot be used. 
Harvesting and Storing .—The crop is harvested at about the 
same time as Irish potatoes, and in much the same manner. Some¬ 
times a turning plow equipped with two rolling colters which cut 
