412 A ISIelhod of aiUlvatwg Asparagus, 



parsnip, to a certain extent, might probablv be found a u?ef!,l 

 resource, at least as an auxiliary article of food^ in case of the 

 failure of the potatoe. 



Before terminating this paper, I ma\' remark, that a species 

 of wine has been often manufactured from the fermented juice 

 of par&nips, and that report speaks in its favour. I have no ex- 

 perience of it ; and for obvious reasons, there has never been 

 any temptation in Guernsey or its neighbour inlands to discover 

 substitutes for the untaxed and supciior produce of the vine. 

 Nor do I know that the parsnip wash has been subjected to di- 

 stillation. It would be worthv the attention of the Society to 

 inquire, whether the spirit produced from it might not become 

 s substitute for wliiskv, since the produce per acre would un- 

 questionably be mucii greater. 



1 may also add, that parsnips are cnltivated to great extent in 

 Jersey as well as in Guernsey, and with the same favourable re- 

 sults, though with some little variation in the process. 



The preparation of the land there, and the other previous ar^ 

 rangements, are similar to those already described. After the 

 harrow, the ground is dibbled with beans, in rows at five feet di- 

 stance. The parsnip-seed is then sowed over the whole, broad- 

 cast. In May the hand- weeding commences, and the parsnips 

 are thinned to the requisite distance. The beans are pulled up 

 by band in September, and the parsnip crop is then disposed of 

 as in Guernsey, I have not been able to procure any accurate 

 estimate of the comparative value of the two processes, nor to 

 learn how far the bulk of the parsnip crop is diminished by the 

 additional incumbrance imposed on the land by the beans. 



XCIV. A Method of cultivating Asparagus^ as it is practised in 

 France. By Z)r. Macculi-och *\ 



jL hat part of the garden which is longest exposed to the sun, 

 and least shaded by shrubs and trees, is to be chosen for the si- 

 .tuation of the asjiaragus quarter. A pit is then to be dug five 

 feet in depth, and the mould v\hich is taken from it nmst be 

 sifted, taking care to reject all stones, even as low in size as a 

 filbcrd nut. The best parts of the mould must then be laid 

 aside for making .ij) the beds. 



The materials of the bed are then to be laid in the following 

 proportions and order : 



Six inches of common dunghill manure. 



Eight iucl'.es of turf. 



Six inches of dung as before. 



* From the Transactions of the Caledonian Horticultural Society. 



Six 



