200 On PRESERVING PARSNIPS. 
One is that it will endure the fevereft froft and may be 
taken out of the ground in the fpring, as frefh and {weet 
as in autum; the other is that it may be preferved by 
drying to any defired length of time. 
The firft of thefe advantages has been known for many 
years paft; the people in the moft northerly parts of 
New-England where winter reigns with great feverity, 
and the ground is often frozen to the depth of two or three: 
feet for four months, leave their parfnips in the ground till 
it thaws in the fpring, and think them much better preferv— 
ed than in cellars. 
The other advantage never occurred to me till this. 
winter, when one of my neighbours put into my hands a 
fubfiance which had the appearance of a piece of buck’s 
horn. This was part of a parfnip which had been drawn 
out of the ground laft April and had lain neglected in a 
dry clofet for ten months. It was. fo hard as to require 
confiderable ftrength to force a knife through it crofs-wife; 
but being foaked in warm water, for about an hour, became 
tender, and was as fweet to the tafte as if it had been 
frefh drawn from the ground. 
As many ufeful difcoveries owe their origin to accident; 
this may fuggeft a method of preferving fo pleafant and 
wholefome a vegetable for the ufe of feamen in long 
voyages, to prevent the fcurvey and. other diforders inci- 
dent to a fea-faring life, which is often rendered tedious 
and diftrefling for want of vegetable food; fince I am per- 
fuaded that parfnips dried to fuch a degree, as above relat- 
ed, and packed in tight cafks, may be tranfported round 
the globe, without any lofs of their flavour or diminution 
of their nutritive quality. 
I am fir, your humble fervant, 
JEREMY BELKNAP. 
