36 



Parsnips. 



Parsnips are a long-season root crop, which ought to be planted 

 before the first of May, and will occupy the ground until late into 

 the fall, sometimes until the following spring. There is a verj^ limited 

 sale for them bunched, but some market gardeners find such a sale 

 profitable. Parsnips require a deep loam. A rich, sandy loam is 

 ideal for their best development, and, as with the other root crops, 

 the manuring of this crop should be done the season preceding its 

 growth. The same fertilizer that has been recommended for the 

 other root crops is suitable for this crop, and the same amount. 

 Parsnip seed is sown with a seed drill, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart, 

 and is usually sown quite thickly, for it is weak and requires some 

 time to germinate. It is a common and proper pratiee to sow some 

 seed with the parsnips which will germinate quickly, and mark the 

 rows so that it will be possible to go through the piece with a wheel 

 hoe before the parsnip seed is up. Lettuce and radish seed are both 

 suitable for this purpose. Hand weeding and thinning are required, 

 and the plants should be left about 3 inches apart in the row. 



Parsnips started early will sometimes be ready to sell bunched in 

 July. About four or five are put in a bunch, and the price averages 

 about 50 cents per dozen bunches. The usual time of harvesting is 

 in September, October and November. During these months there 

 is an increasing market demand, and those not sold directly from the 

 field are taken up in November and put into a pit. The yield of 

 parsnips per acre varies from 300 to 600 bushels. The ideal size 

 is about 2i/'2 inches across the crown and about 12 inches long. 

 They should be smooth and white. It is necessary to wash them for 

 some markets, while others take them miwashed. It is often possible 

 to sell both washed and unwashed, the former bringing from 10 to 

 15 cents more per bushel than the latter. When parsnips are put 

 into the pit it is necessary to pack them so that the roots remain 

 straight; otherwise, when taken from the pit, many roots will be 

 crooked, and will have to go as seconds. 



The varieties of parsnips are few. The standards are Hollow 

 Crown and Long Smooth; the former is the more popular, being 

 somewhat larger for its length and not growing so long. 



There are practically no diseases or insect pests that trouble the 

 parsnip. Some crops will appear rusty, due to soil conditions, and 

 rotation will usually remedy this trouble. 



The greatest labor in the production of the parsnips is the digging. 

 It is usually best to use a plow, and plow close to the row; then the 

 parsnips can be pulled by hand, and the next row plowed out in the 

 same way. Parsnips may be wintered over in the ground where 

 grown, but this practice is hardly suitable for the market gardener. 



