Re: Future of pumpkins?

At 08:51 AM 12/2/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Future of pumpkins?   Calabaza is easier to grow and tastes better 
>
>Associated Press
>
>XXXX City,  XX State. - When is a pumpkin not a pumpkin?  When it is a
>calabaza, a tropical pumpkin being developed by a University of XXXX
>researcher. On future Thanksgivings, Don XXXX believes people may go for the
>calabaza because it is easier to grow and tastes better.
>The tropical pumpkin belongs to the same family as butternut squash and the
>traditional North American pumpkin. The tropical pumpkin is native to
>Central America and became a favorite in the Caribbean and South America
>before appearing in XXXX with immigrants from those regions. The calabaza
>has a smoother, less stringy flesh than North American pumpkins, said XXXX,
>a vegetable specialist with the university's Institute of Food and
>Agricultural Sciences.
>The only thing keeping calabaza from winning pumpkin popularity contests has
>been its cumbersome 50-foot-long vines, XXXX said.
>Under a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, XXXX started crossbreeding
>pumpkin varieties in 1991 at the university's XXXXX Research and Education
>Center in XXXX to reduce the tangle of vines.
>After developing the bush type, XXXX and some colleagues began evaluating
>how the calabaza grows in XXXX's climate. They have found that calabaza
>tolerates heat, low and high moisture and insect pests of all kinds. This is
>one tough pumpkin," XXXX said.
>He next plans to breed ideal characteristics in order to get that round
>shape and that yellow-orange color.
>XXXX said farmers are sure to like the new pumpkins' growing cycle. The old
>tropical pumpkin took 110 to 115 days from planting to harvest. The new
>varieties can be harvested in less than 80 days.
>"I think this is the wave of the future. Farmers are going to like the short
>vine types, and we continue to get requests for seeds from around the
>world," XXXX said.
>The appeal of the pumpkin is worldwide, XXXX said, especially for autumn
>holidays. "In almost any culture, pumpkin is a component in Thanksgiving
>dinner.  And in many cultures, it's a tropical pumpkin," he said. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>
>I read the article above in an on-line news paper a while back.
>I am hesitant to bring this to the group but I am anyway because I don't
>want to waste a whole season or two on these and I figure sooner or later
>everyone will find out anyway.  In the mean time I am trying to keep some
>parts of it secret. 
>I have contacted this researcher and am in the process of getting some of
>his seeds from a cross that we all might find very interesting but he
>didn't. 
>He promises me that they have some very desirable characteristics concerning
>plant and fruit size, growth rate and resistance to heat, bugs and disease.
>And that they aren't typical Calabaza seeds but a unique cross of his. 
>
>My questions to the group are:
>has anyone heard of these CALABAZA's before?
>or know what type of genetics they have ? the article says they belong to
>the butternut squash and traditional North American Pumpkin family. 
>would they cross with an AG pumpkin ? 
>
>any help out there on this one ???
>
>Gordon Tanner
>Maple Valley, WA
>
>
>


look at this link.  3 seeds $1.50

http://www.johnnycyberseed.com/p3146.htm

Bart 
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