418 HORTICULTURAL MEMOIRS. 



with that most valuable plant ; although, in si- 

 tuations similar to the highland districts to which 

 I have above alluded, the cultivation of the pars- 

 nip, to a certain extent, might probably be found 

 a useful resource, at least as an auxiliary article 

 of food, in case of the failure of the potato. 



Before terminating this paper, I may remark, 

 that a species of wine has been often manufac- 

 tured from the fermented juice of parsnips, 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 islands, to discover substitutes for the 

 untaxed and superior produce of the vine. Nor 

 do I know that the parsnip wash has been sub- 

 jected to distillation. It would be worthy the 

 attention of the Society to inquire, whether the 

 spirit produced from it might not become a sub- 

 stitute for whisky, since the produce per acre 

 would unquestionably be much greater. 



I may also add, that parsnips are cultivated 

 to great extent in Jersey, as well as in Guernsey, 

 and with the same favourable results, though 

 with some little variation in the process. 



The preparation of the land there, and the 

 other previous arrangements, are similar to those 

 already described. After the harrow, the ground 

 is dibbled with beans in rows at five feet dis- 

 tance. The parsnip seed is then sowed over the 

 whole broadcast. In May, the handweeding 



