Vegetables with Edible Leaves or Sterns 121 



or ten inches they will be ready for use, provided the box 

 has been covered to keep the light out. 



PARSLEY 



Parsley can be grown well in Florida, Louisiana, the 

 West Indies, and in India, especially if slightly shaded, as 

 by a roof of slats. This hardy umbellifer is a native of 

 the Mediterranean countries, and has been cultivated for 

 about a thousand years. 



The seeds may be sown at almost any time in frostless 

 countries, and leaves ready for picking are produced in 

 less than three months. 



Parsley is so easily grown that no garden need be with- 

 out it, and yet it is rather scarce, especially in the southern 

 markets. Its production scarcely reaches the dignity of a 

 crop, though around New York and Chicago, the entire 

 amount would cover some acres. The Germans use both 

 roots and leaves as flavoring; while Americans use only 

 the leaves, and these mainly as a garnishing. 



The seed of parsley is reckoned good if 76 per cent ger- 

 minates. One ounce of seed is sufficient for 150 feet of 

 drill. It may be sown in Florida in November. Since 

 the seeds often germinate slowly, it is sometimes well to 

 soak them for a day in water and sow them with sand. 

 The drills are a foot apart and j inch deep, and the seed- 

 lings thinned out to 4 to 6 inches. In case the weather is 

 dry, it may be best to sow the seeds in a seed-bed, where 

 they can be kept damp and shaded for three or four weeks 

 until they have germinated. A good plan and a useful one, 

 is to sow the seed in a broad border row around a flower- 



