242 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



deep, and permeable soil and adequate moisture are re- 

 quired. Deep cultivation and manuring will secure these 

 qualities even in rather a heavy soil, but the use of ma- 

 nure the previous year for another crop to be followed by 

 parsnips is the proper course, for roots on freshly man- 

 ured land are apt to be misshapen. Parsnip seed is light 

 and should receive a shallow covering but it is necessary 

 that it should be well firmed in moist soil ta secure ger- 

 mination. As soon as the plants are two or three inches 

 high the rows should be cle aned of weeds, the plants 

 spaced, and frequent use of the cultivator begun, to con- 

 tinue all summer. The suggestions made for the prepara- 

 tion of soil and cultivation of the beet and the carrot have 

 direct application to the growth of the parsnip, and the 

 reader is referred to them. In garden culture good roots 

 can be grown in rows about 15 inches apart, and the plants 

 thinned to half that distance in the rows to leave room for 

 development. 



In the rainy parts of the State it is customary to sow 

 parsnips as soon as the ground is in good condition in 

 February, as the plant is quite hardy. From this date on- 

 ward the seed can be successfully sown as long as the soil 

 has moisture enough, and in moist interior lands seed can 

 be sown in July, or even later, and the plants will make a 

 good fall growth and be ready for winter use from the 

 ground, as late sowing in a warm region with moisture 

 assured, carries the plant along without danger of a check 

 and a second growth. 



Varieties. Varieties of parsnips which prevail in this 

 State are as follows : 



Hollow Crown or Student : long, large, smooth roots in 

 deep soils ; tender, sweet, and fine flavored when well 

 grown. This is the chiefly grown variety. 



Improved Guernsey : half -long, shorter and thicker than 

 the foregoing. 



Devonshire : another short variety popular with market 

 gardeners in southern California. 



