The increasing popularity of calabash pipes made from the fruits of a
South African calabash, or gourd, has aroused a widespread interest in
the growing of this vine.
[1] See page 321, for illustration.
Calabash pipes made from imported South African gourds have been the
fashion in England for some time and are now coming into vogue in
America. These pipes are formed from the crooked necks of a large
gourd (_Lagenaria vulgaris_) belonging to the well-known group of
plants which includes the cucumber, the melons, and the squashes. Pipes
made from the imported gourds are expensive, American dealers usually
charging $3 to $12 apiece for them. They are the lightest pipes made
for their size, are graceful in shape, color like meerschaums, and are
delightful smokers. Unlike the cheap pipes which are turned out by
machinery, no two of these calabash pipes are alike. In this lies much
of their charm. In this, likewise, lies their cost, for, unlike the
great mass of pipes turned out by machinery, the crook of the calabash
varies so that each mouthpiece must be made to fit it and each lining
of meerschaum or plaster of Paris must be specially adapted. In our
land of labor-saving machinery and expensive hand labor this is what
makes the pipes costly.
The vine forms a very satisfactory cover for unsightly brush heaps
or fences, though its rather rank odor might prove objectionable if
used for an arbor too near the dwelling. To grow the vine for the
sake of its gourds is where the chief interest lies, however, and to
do this well it should not be trained on a trellis, but allowed to
trail over the ground. If the fruits are allowed to lie on the ground
they form their crooked necks quite naturally without assistance, and
while not all of them by any means make suitable necks for pipes a
good proportion do. It seems to induce a more perfect neck to stand
the gourds up when half grown so that they rest on their big ends.
Unless care is exercised in doing this the necks snap off, for they are
extremely brittle even when fully grown. It is only when almost mature
that they become hard and then they are indeed almost unbreakable.
Much could doubtless be done to perfect the methods of culture,
insuring perhaps a greater percentage of properly crooked necks and
more perfect surfaces. It could not be seen that inheritance plays
any material part in this matter of percentage of crooks. If left to
themselves the majority will crook their necks, but some few will
remain quite straight, and this on the same vine with perfectly formed
crooks. The gourds should be left as long as possible on the vines to
thoroughly thicken their shells. If picked green the shell will be
no thicker than stiff cardboard and in drying it is very liable to
crack. Frost will injure the gourds if they are left on the vines too
long.--(B. P. I. Cir. 41.)