14 CROP PRODUCTION 



growth. With most sorts the seed is sown early in spring 

 and the roots are harvested late in autumn, but quick- 

 growing forcing varieties that become large enough for 

 use in early summer are now available. The Carrot 

 thrives in a rich, deep, moist soil in the best condition 

 that tillage can give it and as free as possible from weeds. 

 The seeds are slow in germinating, so it is well to mark 

 the rows by adding a few radish seeds. The seeds are 

 commonly planted in drills twelve to sixteen inches 

 apart for hand hoeing. The seedlings must be weeded 

 and thinned so that each root will have plenty of room. 

 Two hundred bushels to the acre is a fair yield. 



The Parsnip 



Like the carrot the Parsnip is beHeved to have been 

 developed more than two thousand years ago from a 

 wild plant — the Wild Parsnip, which is a common weed 

 along many roadsides. There are three types of roots 

 — the Short or Globular, the Half-long, and the Long. 



The Parsnip requires a soil even deeper than that for 

 the carrot, as the slender tap-root of the long variety 

 has been traced down nearly three feet. The soil 

 should be rich and moist and in fine tilth. Seeds are 

 planted early in spring in drills fifteen to eighteen inches 

 apart and the seedlings thinned to four or five inches 

 apart. The seeds germinate slowly, so the rows should 

 be marked by radish seedlings. The roots mature late 

 in autumn and may be dug then or left in the ground 

 through the winter, if protected by a light mulch. Five ' 

 hundred bushels to the acre is a good yield. 



