Gourds, those amusing and interesting “gar¬ 
den gnomes,” can be had in all shapes, sizes, 
and colors. The tiny highly-covered sorts are 
ideal for Holiday wreaths and swags of ever¬ 
green. Table centerpieces of candles, gourds, 
greens and berries are very effective. Larger 
sizes, heaped in pewter or wooden bowls, are 
most decorative. The hard--shelled kinds when 
well matured make fine bird houses.' dippers, 
bowls, or flower vases. 
The ornamental gourds, Cucurbita, native of 
the warmer parts of the earth, have yellow 
flowers and are day blooming. They are not as 
rampant growers as the hard-shelled sorts and 
can be planted much closer. About three to four 
months will mature the ornamental gourd from 
seed, while a month to six weeks longer is re¬ 
quired for the hard-shelled kinds. Here in Mas¬ 
sachusetts we rarely can mature the latter kinds 
unless we start the seed a month ahead of time 
in a sunny window or greenhouse. The tiny 
plants are potted when in the seed leaf stage 
and carefully transferred out of doors after all 
danger of frost is past. 
A fine place to plant gourd seed is at the base 
of a fence or trellis with a southern exposure 
sheltered from harsh winds. In such a location 
ttiey can be planted in hills about three feet 
apart and allowed to climb. In this way the 
maturing fruits are kept off the ground, thereby 
having even color on all sides, which is a dis¬ 
tinct advantage for decorative purposes. While 
the usual advice is to plant in hills six to ten 
feet apart, the small garden owner will find that 
very good results may be obtained by planting- 
much closer, providing the ground is well fer- 
