208 Cultivation of Arable Land* Parfnips After-culture of Crops of. 



practice to have beans at the fame time with them, either planted in fingle rows, at 

 the diftance of four feet and a half, and about eight or ten inches from ea^h other, 

 or double ones at the diftance of twelve feet and eighteen inches in the rows. In this 

 manner two crops are obtained from the fame piece of ground ; but unlefs care be 

 taken to remove the beans in good time, great injury may be done to the parfnips. 

 As, though there may have been much leaf and ftcm before the roots of thefe 

 plants begin to fwell out and acquire their fize towards Auguft, the beans ought 

 never to be fuffered to remain longer than that period upon the ground.* It 

 may, however, be better in many inftances, efpecially where they are cultivated in 

 the drill method, to have only the parfnip crop ; as, while the land can be kept 

 equally clean, the roots will probably be much larger in fize. 



After-Culture. Crops of this fort require to be kept perfectly clean and free 

 from weeds during the early part of their growth; frequent hoeing and weeding are, 

 therefore, to be pradlifed. Where cultivated in rows at fufficient diftances, the 

 intervals may be cleaned by the plough or horfe hoe. It is fomctimes ufual, where 

 this fort of crop forms a part of field hufbandry, to have recourfe to the harrow- 

 before the procefs of hoeing or weeding is begun. This muft be performed about 

 the time the feed firft begins to germinate ; as by harrowing too foon, the weeds 

 will not have rifen, and if deferred too long, there will be danger of deftroying the 

 buds of the parfnips. This is fuppofed more neceflary on the ftiffer forts of foil, 

 as it renders them more eafily weeded. The firft weeding may be performed about 

 the beginrj. tjrg or middle of May, according to the forwardnefs of the plants, being 

 at this operation only partially thinrled out where they appear to ftand much too 

 clofe together. The fame operation is to be again performed about the beginning 

 of July ; when the plants muft be carefully fet out to the diftance of fix inches. 

 This fort of work is executed either by means of a fmall fork with two prongs, 

 or a kind of very fmall fpade having a fhort handle; the labourer, in making ufe of 

 it, kneels on one knee, and holding it in his right hand, digs and turns the mould, 

 while with his left he pulls up and removes the weeds.f After this fecond weeding 

 nothing further is found requifite in the parfnip culture. 



As this fort of root ftrikes downwards to a great depth, and of courfe draws 

 much of its nourilhment from below, it may with propriety be introduced after 

 moft forts of fibrous-rooted crops. There is little hazard in the cultivation of 

 parfnip crops, except from the falling of too much rain immediately after fowing, 

 by which the feed may be in danger of being wafhed away ,- or, when dry weather 



* Communications to the Board of Agriculture, vol. I. t Ibid. 



