d 
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AN ENCYCLOPADIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. SF 
Parsnip—continued. 
be fit for use, and a stock may be lifted and stored in 
a cool shed, for that purpose being covered with sand 
or light soil. Parsnips are, however, much better if dug 
from the ground as required for use; consequently, only 
enough should be stored inside for maintaining a supply 
in frosty weather up till February, or until growth 
recommences, when the whole stock must be dug up. 
A Parsnip, with a portion of its leaves removed, is repre- 
sented in Fig. 33. 
FIG. 33, PARSNIP. 
Seed Saving. Parsnip seed does not satisfactorily 
retain its germinative powers longer than one year. If 
seed is to be raised, a few of the best roots should be 
carefully planted in a sheltered position early in the 
year. The seed will ripen in quantity during the latter 
part of summer, when it may be dried and stored in 
the ordinary way. 
Sorts. These are not numerous. The following are 
the best: HOLLOW-CROWNED, large, heavy, and of ex- 
cellent quality; best for general use. LARGE GUERNSEY, 
roots large, long, and tapering; a variety extensively 
cultivated in the Channel Islands. THE STUDENT, 
medium size, of superior flavour and good quality. 
There is a variety called Turnip-rooted, because of 
its roots resembling Turnips in shape and growing prin- 
cipally above ground. It is not much cultivated, but 
has been recommended for shallow soils, on which the 
other sorts do not properly succeed. 
Pests. The Parsnip is occasionally liable to the 
attacks of Fungi, of which, probably, the worst are 
Erisyphe Martii and Peronospora nivea; but the crop 
seldom suffers much from these causes. Means of pre- 
vention and of remedy will be found under the headings 
Mildew, Oidium, and Peronospora (which see). 
Parsnip—continued. 5 
The insects that most frequently injure Parsni 
also affect various allied plants, notably the Carrot, and 
they will be found mentioned under the following head- 
ings: Carrot Blossom Moth (Depressaria daucella 
or, D. nervosa), Carrot Grubs (Psila Rosæ), Celery 
Fly’ (Tephritis Onopordinis), Flat-body Moth (Depres- 
saria applana or D. cicutella), Parsnip-Seed Moth 
(D. Heracleana), and Purple Carrot-Seed Moth 
(D. depressella). Their appearance, habits, and modes of 
doing damage, and the best remedies against each, will 
be found in detail under these heads, but may be sum- 
marised here as follows: : 
Psila Rose is a small, two-winged fly, the grubs of 
which are slender, white or yellowish, and about 4in. 
long. They burrow into the tap-roots of Parsnips and 
of Carrots, forming narrow, irregular galleries. The 
diseased plants show the injury by the outer leaves 
drooping and turning yellow. It has been found useful, 
as a remedy, to water the plants with solutions of 
paraffin (one ounce to one gallon of water) or of alum, 
or liquid manure; and gas-lime, soot, or sand prepared 
with tar (one gallon to a barrowful of sand), are all 
useful applications if dug into the soil. 
Tephritis Onopordinis is harmful, inasmuch as the 
grubs burrow between the surfaces of the leaves of 
Parsnips, producing large, pale patches, in which the 
surfaces are separated from each other. These patches 
are useless for the nutrition of the plant; hence, when 
numerous, much injury is done to the leaves. One or 
more grubs are present in each patch. When full-fed, 
they generally bore through the skin of the leaf, and 
into the soil, and in it they turn into brown, oval pup» ; 
but sometimes they become pupæ in the discoloured 
patches of the leaves. From the pup», in a fortnight 
or so in summer, or after the winter, emerge brown or 
yellowish two-winged flies, about the size of house flies, 
with brown-spotted wings and green eyes. The best 
remedy is to crush the spots, when they are small, 
between the finger and thumb, or pick off and burn the 
diseased leaves. The leaves may also be sprinkled with 
lime, or gas-lime, or soot, to prevent deposition of the 
eggs. The pupæ may be destroyed by digging gas-lime 
into the soil in autumn and winter, or by paring off 
and burning 3in. or 4in. of the surface soil. 
All the moths that need be noticed here belong to 
the genus Depressaria, a rather large group of insects, 
included in the Tineina (which see for characters). 
They vary from a little over }in. to lin. across the 
wings. The fore wings are cut square at the tips, and 
the hind margin of the hind wings is y notched 
near the base. The insects are usually grey, reddish- 
brown, or brown, and the fore wings bear darker spots 
or streaks. Several of these moths live on umbelli- 
ferous plants, in the umbels of flowers, or in pieces of 
the leaves so rolled as to form tubes. The parts 
occupied by them are spun together by means of silk, 
and thus afford them protection from enemies of every 
kind. When the web is torn, or even if the plant is 
shaken, the larve wriggle to the exterior, and drop to 
the ground, to re-ascend at leisure. When full-fed, they 
usually bore into stems of the food-plant, and in them 
become pupæ. In this state they frequently hibernate, 
though some live through the winter as moths. Those 
larve that feed on the leaves do comparatively little 
harm, but those that feed in the umbel eat the flowers 
and fruits, and do much mischief to the seed crop. The 
best remedy is hand-picking, or shaking the affected 
umbels, The larve readily fall ont, and should be 
trampled upon and crushed before they can crawl away, 
or again reach the umbels. 
PARSNIP FLY. Se Tephritis Onopordinis, 
under PARSNIP PESTS. 
