!KiSH GARDENING 



The Parsnip, 



By Axdkkw F. rKAusoN. 



As a liighly iuitriti\i' \ r,i;L>tablt', the i'arsiiii) 

 eouies seeoiul only to tlie Potato, altliougii llu' 

 t'stiniated gross value pel' acre ot the raisuip 

 is i;50 to i'80, against the Potato's i;24 to H-iti. 

 These figvu'es, however, are controversial, and 

 need not be dwelt on. 



The Parsnip is lound growing wild in tlic 

 meadows of southern Europe and England, and 

 in its wild state is an unpalatable thing. The 

 eulti\ated form has been so imjjroved by cave- 

 I'ul selection and hybridising that the modern 

 ro(jt bears no resemblance tO' the wild one hi 

 food properties. In times of scarcity an excel- 

 lent bread 'has been made from the root. Its 

 riches in sugar, starch, gum and albumen permit 

 a valuable wine to be drawn from it. English 

 housewives can produce this wine with ease, 

 and I can testify to its merits. As a food for 

 dairy cows it has been proved to possess high- 

 class butter-])roducing ([ualities. 



The })rime factor in growing first-class roots 

 is a deeply worked soil, of a sandy loam in 

 character. Although stiif soils well worked 

 will produce good roots, the two exceptions to 

 growing good roots are ])erha])s stony, sliallow 

 soil and fres'hly manured soil, especially when 

 the manure is worked in the first spit; coarse 

 forked roots are then produced, and these are 

 just what a Parsnij) should not be : a j)rimB 

 I'oot ought to be a solid, clean single tap, vary- 

 ing from 9 to 24 inches, according to the qualit}' 

 of the soil, the grower and the variety. In the 

 case of stony soils, a dee)) hole may be made, 

 with a crowbar, worldng it to a suital)le size, 

 and filling with fine soil. This, although a 

 laborious process, has the merit of producing 

 \ciy fine roots. 



Assuming that the ground has l)een ])iepared 

 l)y deep working during the autumn or winter 

 months, and that it has not been recently 

 occujjied l)y Celery, Carrnts, l^arsley or other 

 ])lants of an umbelliferous natm'e, the first fine 

 weather in February should be taken for pi'e- 

 ])aring the seed bed. 



Proceed l)y breal^ing down and levelling tlie 

 surface with a spade or fork", lake off all stones, 

 and draw furrows with the aid of a triangular 

 hoe IH ins. apart and nhout 1.^ ins. in depth. 

 'This operation can oidy be performed when the 

 soil is really dr}", and choose as fine a day as 

 p(jssible for seed-sowing, the seed being so light 



tfiat wind will blow it everywhere but the proper 

 place. In ordinary se;isons I would advise 

 sowing the seed in one continuous line, but the 

 scarcity of seed this year demands economy. 

 This can best be accomplished by sowing three 

 or four seeds in clum^is every 9 inches, and 

 finally selecting the strongest seedling as the 

 occupant. This method will give good results, 

 and save much seed. Finish off the whole bed 

 by lightly covering the seetl, pressing gently by 

 foot [)ressure and raking smoothly. 



fn due time the seedlings will be in competi- 

 tion with the weeds. The hoe must then be 

 plietl diligently between the lines to keep t\vj 

 lattei' in subjection; and mark this point: sur- 

 face cidtivation with the hoe, whether they are 

 weeds or not, is the best aid to the growth of 

 plants of all kinds. It acts as a mulching in 

 dry, hot weather, preventing rapid evaporation 

 ;md crackling of the surface ; it aerates the inner 

 soil, and leaves it in a fit state to readily benefit 

 by rainfall, which, by the way, is the most 

 valuable nitrogenous stimulant obtainable. 



J )uring the early summer months growth will 

 be luxuriant ; indeed, few vegetable growths 

 command more respect than well-grown Par- 

 snips, with their deep green hue and orna- 

 mental foliage. At this season, however, some 

 little things may go wrong — insect pests there 

 are, although rarely serious, and fungi at times 

 claim their shai'e in attack. The commoner 

 insect is the Parsnip fly, " Tephritis onopor- 

 dinis." This fly produces a grub which bur- 

 rows into the tissues of the leaf, and causes 

 yellowish patches to appear. The grubs may 

 be killed by pressure of the fingers, and then, 

 as a preventive to the fly's depredations, spray 

 the crop with Quassia extract, soluble paraftin, 

 or some equally effective insecticide. 



Should fungus attack the crop it will be 

 readily recognised in the shape of mildew. The 

 surest method of combating this is to spray 

 with ordinary potato-spraying mixture (Bor- 

 deaux mixture) at about same strength as 

 ad\ised foi' Potatoes. 



1 trust that the mention of these pests will 

 not debar the prospective grower ; they are only 

 possible contingencies, not probable. 



Next to the ])reparation of the soil comes the 

 question of the best variety, for without a real 

 good sort the labour of preparation is so much 

 wasted effort. 



I had hoped that the crisis through which we 

 aic now passing would have by now resulted in 

 an abridged list of varieties of all kinds of vege- 

 tables, but the first seed list for 1018 to hand 

 lu'esents us with a very great choice in variety. 



