ROOTS AND TUBERS WE EAT 177 



think, and more patience than the American. He 

 knows that the sowing of parsnips in spring, and 

 the cultivation of the plants will bring a crop of 

 tender, sweet roots, in prime condition, at a time 

 when most fresh foods for man and beast are gone. 

 What if he has no stock to feed, and there are more 

 parsnips than his family needs? His neighbors 

 will be eager to buy, as the late winter brings them 

 to the -end of their supply of root vegetables. The 

 owners of cattle, pigs, and horses appreciate a chance 

 to get parsnips for them. Poultry, too, thrives on 

 these roots. 



Parsnip seeds are grown for a drug they yield, 

 and some gardeners grow their own supply for next 

 planting. The second year is seed time for all plants 

 that form fleshy roots in the first. Set out a pars- 

 nip in good soil and watch the top send up among 

 the leaves the branching stem with its crowding 

 umbrellas of little, greenish flowers, much like the 

 white ones for its cousin, the wild carrot. The 

 seeds are flat and round with a thin frill on each 

 that enables it to fly. 



CARROTS 



The wild parent of garden and field varieties 

 of carrots is a rampant weed in most parts of 



