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Re: Stupid Judge! It's a pumpkin, NOT a Squash! Need help proving it...

	Mike's right.  The issue concerns education.  If growers want Atlantic
Giants to be considered as pumpkins they must lobby their wishes with the
promoters and festival officals before they print up their judging
requirements.
	In the plant world there is no such thing as a pumpkin family or a species
of pumpkin.  Pumpkins are all squash.  The lable of pumpkin placed upon a
certian squash is arbitrary. A rule of thumb is: if it is an orange fruit
that's kinda roundish grows on a vine or bush, someone is likely to call it
a pumpkin.  But, even then it could be a pumpkin gourd as in Lagenaria
siceraria.  In the genus Cucurbita there are 6 different species of squash.
 In each species there are dozens of squash that could be considered as
pumpkins.  The most common jack-o-lanter type of pumpkins are from the pepo
species.  Atlantic Giants are in the species maxima.
	However, some Atlantic Giants look more like squash than a pumpkin.  Their
huge weight causes them to squash, flaten-out and lose anything even
slightly resembling a traditional jack-o-lantern or pumpkin shape.  Some
aren't even orange.  Some might be considered red and others yellow.  So if
you had a redish / yellowish fruit shaped like a giant pablano pepper and
then some judge who's an expert on roses calls that fruit a squash -
technically he is right - all pumpkins are squash.  But the 5 point star
stem thing is a statment of pure bovine waste.  There is no scientific nor
biological classification for a pumpkin.

Michael in Akron
mcohill@neo.lrun.com

----------
> From: Mike Stephenson <mike@beaconmortgage.com>
> To: denise beck <denise@saltspring.com>; Pumpkins@athenet.net
> Subject: Re: Stupid Judge! It's a pumpkin, NOT a Squash! Need help
proving it...
> Date: Sunday, September 21, 1997 12:11 PM
> 
> 
> >The judge who doesn't know a squash from an Atlantic Giant pumpkin
> 
> IMHO is makes more sense to use your energies with the organizers and
> get them to set up the rules CORRECTLY for next year rather than try to
> beat up the judge about this year. You, and all of us, know your entry
> was the real winner. The judge, right or WRONG, has made his decision
> FOR THIS YEAR ONLY. Going forward, it is up to the organizers, as it was
> this year, to make up their own rules as to what qualifies, and what
> doesn't, in a given class. The judge is just applying what he BELIEVES
> are the organizers rules. Since an AG does have a lot of squash in its
> bloodline the judge had merit in his position. However, if the rules,
> going forward, specifically say AG's belong in the pumpkin class then
> there is no chance of having next year's judge make the same call, even
> if you do get this year's judge to change his call.
> 
> Mike in Oregon
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