Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-18

Ahd private families. The old idea
{ bat they are unwholesome Ia no
loi 'ger entertained. Physicians now
give testimony In favor of their health
f~ulno>s, Daring the past few years
several professional gardeners and
amateurs have added to the number Of
varieties and greatly improved their
quality. Unless a farmer lives In q
location that has q favorable soil and
cimste and & cd facilities for trant.
portatiop, he may not hud melons a
profitable crop 90 raise fox the market,
but every farmer should raise an
abundance for the supply Of his own
family.
Attention has also lately been given
to the production OF squsshes as q
markes crop. They are in demand for
the supply of hotels aud families at al.
mo,t all seasons Of tho year. Bakers
nov buy large quantities Of squashes
for making pies. Every few years
there Ia quite a demand for squaehes
to send to the east The shipment Of
squsshes to England has commenced,
aud the amount of them SEM abroad
will probably increase from year to
year. The long keeping varieties like
the Hubbard can be preserved during
the winter with little liability to
lrss, and they always command high
prices In the spring. Mary Iquashes
are now canned and dried. As q sut-
stitute for the sweet potato the rquash
has no equal. Eight tens of..Hubbard
tquashes have not unfrequentiy been
raiued on q single acre of highly man.
ured and we'll cultivated land. A
crep like this will pay as we'll as any
thing o farmer can produce when we
take into consideration the post OF
raising. The cost Of seed il very light
and the expense of harvesting small.
Squashes should be raised on dry and
warm soil. 1t should be made very rioh
with well.rotted stable maj ure. Wood
ashes and bone meal, a. well - super.
phosphate Of lime, are also excellent
fertilizers for squashes, as they are for
melons and pumpkins. The ground
should be we'll %pulverizsd, but 1t need
not be piowed deep. Poor iquashes
will be produced on clayey or damp
soils, and they can not be relied on 10
keep q long time. The planting can
be delayed till most Of the field crops
are pct In, Many plant in rows eight
or ten feet apart, and others In hills
eight or ten feet distant from each
other. But tw, plants are allowed to
grow in q hill, though FIVE or six seeds
arc planted. The hill Is made slight.
ly sioplng, like q saucer, and the seed
Is covered about an inoh and a hall
deep. The earth above them is fat.
tened, and made tolerably compact
with o hoe,
Pumpkins can be planted In the
same manner as squashes, OF they oar
be raised to good advantage In oonneo
tion with BORN By dropping the seed II
every fourth or fifth hill. Melons,
squsshes or pumpkins, when grown il
the field, require substantially tn,
same cultivation. The soil about tn,
plants should be worked with the no,
or garden trowel, and the earth be
tween the hills kept mellow and fre'
from weeds aud grass by the employ
ment of the oultivator, which can b
run both ways. After the weAthe
becomes quite warm the vines will 500,
cover tho ground, and It 10 often I'd
visable TO shorten them 30 % to pre-
vent too much shade. The greatel
d. %ticulty IL with the little striped bug
which In this latitude puts In his ap
peArancs tho first If June The youn
plants cau be protected against thi
insect by covering them with . sms
box having single pane of glas
fitted to the top and placed 20 th'
the rain will run of from II. Sma
boxes covered With mu,qui,
netting answer the purpose nearly .
we'll. The plan of dusling the youu
plants when they are wet with de
| with land plaster IL recommended
! sxtenslve growers. Some give no pr
teotion to the plant, but seed LIBERAL
40 that enough plants will survive tt
work of the insects. A few plant til
seed Of inferior varieties Of squash,
In the vicinity Of the hills and In tn,
: way provide food for the bugs. M
onr, squashes and pumpkins should
: gathered before heavy frosts ooou
A portion of the vi1e should be 10
! on the stem and they should be o.
lowed to become dry before they al
placed under Squsshes an
pumpkins are valuable as food Il
fowls and animals. Cattle and grov
ing hogs wi eat them in their ra
state, but 1t is better to cook them ft
poultry and hogs that are being ia
= tened. In many places PUMPKINS on
, euuashes furnish. next to prsss. Il