Re: Green versus Orange
It's interesting to read these comments regarding green vs. orange. First,
we all know that AG's are really squash just as much as the greenies are.
Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) use to be defined as having square stems (Howden,
Connecticut Field etc) and squash (cucurbita maxima) with round stems (AG's,
Big Max and Prizewinner). In my humble opinion, because it's weight that
wins the contests, open it up to anything produced classified as being in
the cucurbita maxima. Then have another category for the biggest and best
cucurbita maxima that resembles a pumpkin (cucurbita pepo). For me I don't
want to grow some monstrous looking blob, I want something that looks like a
pumpkin. Another question to ask ones self - If you had a watermelon (
Citrullus lanatus) contest and awarded a prize to the biggest (heaviest)
would you not include watermelons that are striped, light green or dark
green in color and can be of any shape? Just some thoughts to this greenie
vs. orange debate.
Russ - Wisconsin
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Papez" <apapez@cogeco.ca>
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2004 11:41 AM
Subject: Re: Green versus Orange
> Hard enough to get sponsor money for pumpkins. Imagine trying to get
> additional money for squash, next to impossible. The big commercial sites
> like Port Elgin and a few others may be able to get some more money for
> squash but smaller weigh offs such as Niagara and trying for 3 years for
> sponsorship and finally they are coming around squash is a pretty hard
> sell.Talking from experience it would be pretty hard to approach them for
> additional funding for squash when it took 3 years just to get them to
> commit to pumpkins. Unfortunate but we have to keep offerimg more money to
> attract bigger pumpkins or your left out from a weigh off point of view.
You
> can't blame the growers when faced with a equal drive either way which one
> would you go to or if you have a real biggie why not go for additional
money
> except when its your own group puttung on the weigh off ie( Dave Stelts,
> Bryan Dueck,and I'm sure there are several growers that are loyal to
ttheir
> group. I'm talking as a grower but also from a weigh commitee point of
view.
> When they say there is no sponsorship for squash that statement is not
> totally untrue, theres hardly any out there for pumpkins and to decrease
the
> prize board so you can accomodate both is suicide for the weigh offs.
> Because if your site finishes poorly in the top ten average its hard to
> approach the sponsors next year but if finish well its a good selling
> feature ie more media coverage for sponsors. Enough rambling
>
> drew
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <LGOURD@aol.com>
> To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
> Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2004 11:57 AM
> Subject: Re: Green versus Orange
>
>
> > In a message dated 9/19/2004 9:54:25 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> > Lubadub@aol.com writes:
> > Squash just don't cut it. Ray Waterman knows this. His event is
> > called a Pumpkin Weighoff. I doubt you will ever see the word squash up
> in
> > lights
> > at Ray's. Say what you will about Ray. He is a purist and, I think,
proud
> of
> > it. For years he has been out there pushing pumpkins, not squash. Ray's
> > favorite color is for sure orange.
> > I guess some of you newbies who have been in this for less than 20 years
> > don't know that I petitioned Guinness Book of Records back in 1984 to
> include a
> > "Squash" class. They had only a pumpkin class that included both orange
> and
> > green fruit. So to say some of the things that have been said are way
off
> base.
> > I have done a lot for squash growers also. Why don't you go after the
> real
> > challenge and grow some big ones instead of replying in this nature? I
> meant
> > little by saying, "what is colour anyways". Notice I used the Canadian
> > spelling for Wayne. Get real and get growing! Ray
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
> > To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> > message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
