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Introductory 
he Cucurbits are perhaps, among the most interesting of all the vegetables pro¬ 
duced for seed. They offer a wide range of shapes, sizes and coloring of fruit and 
there seems hardly to be a limit to the number of new developments which appear 
from time to time. Our descriptive booklet, “The Cucurbits,” was issued in 1925. In 
checking over its contents as compared to this edition, a period of some twelve years, 
we find that many changes have occurred in types and varieties. In this length of 
time about 45 standard varieties of vine seeds have been added to growers lists where¬ 
as about this same number have become almost obsolete over the same period. 
Our highly competitive markets demand improved quality and uniformity in 
products of every kind. Changes in varieties are constantly being developed to re¬ 
place the older kinds in vine seed. A number of interesting developments are now 
ready for the market but we have not included them among our descriptions until 
their merits have become more generally proven. As time progresses we hope to 
submit additional information on the new stocks which are released to be added 
to this book. 
We realize that our descriptions and illustrations may not agree with the opin¬ 
ions of others and we welcome both suggestions and criticism. It should be borne in 
mind that different stocks vary to some degree in a number of respects. Further, 
results may vary to some extent under different climatic and cultural conditions. As 
nearly as possible we have endeavored to describe the stocks that, in our opinion, have 
proven generally satisfactory for their intended purpose. We know that this book 
cannot be perfect but it is the result of many years of careful study and preparation. 
In compiling the data in this edition we are indebted to a number of able assist¬ 
ants; including our numerous friends in the seed trade, many of the nation’s leading 
plant pathologists and members of our own organization; to the U. S. Department of 
Agriculture and State Experimental Stations for their various bulletins as well as the 
learned writers who have preceded our generation; among them, Dr. E. Lewis Sturte- 
vant, first director of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, New 
York, from whose works on early plant history we have quoted in a number of instances. 
To all of those who have so generously contributed of their time and knowledge 
to this work and to all of those who have so generously contributed of their patronage 
during our fifty years of seed growing, we express our sincere appreciation. 
Respectfully, 
The J. C. Robinson Seed Co. 
