Charlevoix county herald., 1912-08-10
CUCURBITS OR
VINE CROPS
By GEORGE w. HOOD.
Instructor In Horticulture,
Michigan Agricultural College

PROBABLY include some or our most III
portant vegetables. They belong TO
the class known as annual vegetables
and to the sub-class which are grown
for their fruit and seed parts. This
group includes the following vege-
tables, namely, cucumber, gherkin,
muskmelon. pumpkin. squash and wa
termelon. The cucumber and musk
melon are the most important, al
though cucumbers probably stand
first.
These vegetables, taken as a whole,
are known as tender plants" and re-
Quire warm climate and must be
planted at the time of season when
all danger of frost Is past.
Cucumber.
The cucumber, which Is one Of our
oldest vegetables, has been cultivated
in India for at least three thousand
years. 1t was first grown in England
about 1873 and also by the earliest
settlers in this country. The cucum-
Der Is grown commercially on large
scale and under a large range or
climatic conditions. The various sec
lions of the south and along the At
lantic coast are favorable to the pro-
duction of the early crops while the
cooler summers of the north are we'll
adapted to growing pickles. The
plants are quite sensitive to frost as
we'll as to extreme heat, but thrive
under cooler conditions than melons
The light sandy soils are best for early
crops, If earliness is the chief consid-
Grafton, however, yields are larger
and the bearing period longer in heavy
soils. AS earliness is such an import
ant factor in securing remunerative
prices, many growers start some OF
their plants under glass. Greenhouses
are most valuable for this purpose al
though hot beds and cold frames are
sometimes employed. The soil should
receive early blowing and frequent
narrowing before planting, and for
very early crop some growers prefer
to throw up the land in small burrows
thus securing better drainage and
somewhat warmer soil conditions. Ere
quent cultivation until the vines begin
to run Is recommended.
The most important type that Is
grown in this country and which is es-
pecially desirable for slicing is the
White Spine. This Is quite popular
both for cultivation in the open and
under glass.
The cucumber, like many other of
our vegetables. is not without its IN
sect enemies and diseases. Among the
most important insect enemies may be
mentioned the striped cucumber beetle
which Is yellow above, with black
head and wing covers longitudinally
striped with black. The beetles are
particularly destructive to young
plants but also feed on the old plants
as well as the fruit. Various plans
have been suggested for the control
of this pest, but arsenical poisons are
not successful and preventative meas
ures are usually employed, such as
protecting the hills with square boxes
covered with cheese cloth or muslin.
The most important diseases of the
cucumber are the downy mildew, leaf
blight. and anthracnose. Bordeaux
mixture is the chief fungicide used in
combating these diseases.
Muskmelon.
Muskmelon requires somewhat the
same conditions recommended for the
cucumber. IL is native Of southern
Asia and Is one of the most popular
vegetables in many parts Of the world.
The muskmelon is much more suscept-
ible to the effects of cold than the GU
cumber. 1t will not stand frosts and
demands a rather high summer tenn
perature for most satisfactory results.
A good plan, especially for this sec
ton OF the country, Is to start melons
under glass in order that they may
have longer growing season so as
to mature their crops earlier. It is
generally conceded that the sowing
should not occur more than four weeks
before setting in the field, because the
plants may become stunted or the
growing may be checked when trans
ferred to the field. Occasionally plants
are kept under glass six weeks. Pa
per, earthen pots, berry baskets and
veneer boxes are used to start the
plants.
Cultivation. care and soil require
ments are similar to those recon-
mended for cucumbers.
The other members of this group
require similar conditions with slight
notifications for each Individual
crop.