S» ON FEEDING CATTLE WITH PARSNEPS. 



They answe? A few years ago, the culture of potatoes was substituted 

 potatoes?" ^y ^^"^^ farmers to that of parsneps, and apparently with 

 advantage; but farther experience has brought th^rin ba*:k 

 again to their former practice. Potatoes prodiice more 

 weight and measure on a given extent of ground, and may 

 be cultivated with less expense; still the parsnep is found 

 to answer best for the farmei*s purpose. A perch of the 

 island, which is twenty-four square feet, will produce on 

 an average crop seven cabots of potatoes, each weighing 

 forty pounds, the same extent in parsneps will only average 

 six cabots, which weigh only thirty-five pounds eath, mark- 

 ing twenty* pounds weight in favour of the pb1;atbes,^but 

 they are not so nutritious as parsneps.*^' ^^^ ' ^'"-^ 



Soil. Parsneps will thrive almost any where, but better in a 



Modeofcul- deep stiff loam. They are generally cultivated in the 

 island after a crop of barley, in the following manner. — At 

 the end of January, or the beginning of February, the 

 soil, which requires for this purpose to be stirred from the 

 bottom, is either dug with spades after a skimming plough, 

 or with two ploughs of different shapes following one ano- 

 ther. The latter of the two, invented some years ago by a 

 farmer in the island, will go to a depth of fifteen inches. 

 In both these ways, the neighbouring farmers assist each 

 other: In the season, it is not uncommon to see forty or 

 fifty men in one field digging after a plough. When the 

 large plough is used, less men are required, but niore 

 strength of cattle : two oxen and six horses are the teatn 

 generally used. Those days are reckoned days of recrea- 

 tion, and tend to promote social intercourse among that 

 class of men. 

 Beans dibbled After the gi'ound ha« been tilled in this way, it is coarsely 

 in, and then y^arrowed, and a sufficient number of women are provided 

 pirsntpssown. i-i i i i • T i 



to plant beans. These are dibbled in rows three by three 



at the distance of five feet from row to row. 



Two women may plant one vergee in a day. Two ver- 

 gees and a half being equal to an English acre. Three 

 sextenniers of parsnep seed, (about | of a Winchester 

 bushel) are then sown upon each vergee, and the whole 13 

 ^nely harrowed.^ 

 I ♦ Seventy, if the preceding numbers be right. C. 



