12 Hints on Vegetable and Fruit Farming. 



to 35. 9^/. per dozen bunches, coming to market after the French 

 early carrot season is over. From 300 to 400 dozen bunches per 

 acre are a fair crop. This crop is a very little while on the ground, 

 but entails considerable labour in keeping the land clean from 

 weeds. Cabbages may be taken after carrots, or wheat, or winter 

 oats ; the Early Horn and James's Intermediate are the sorts 

 usually grown. The Italian Early Market is also a good carrot. 



Parsnips are a profitable crop upon suitable land. They 

 require a deep tilth, or they become " forked." This can be 

 obtained by means of a subsoil-plough, following the ordinary 

 plough. Manure should not be directly applied for this crop ; 

 they may, therefore, well follow late cabbages, or onions, or 

 Savoys, or even coleworts, as the most successful growers do not 

 have a " stale furrow," but prefer to plough and sow as closely 

 together as possible. The seed is drilled in with a seed-harrow, 

 in rows fifteen inches apart, in the spring as soon as the weather 

 permits, the plants being left about eleven inches apart in the 

 rows. The Hollow Crown is the sort usually grown ; indeed, 

 there is scarcely any other sort. Parsnips are not dug until 

 they are wanted for market, not being injured by frost. Parsnips 

 can be followed by spring cabbages, for which a good coat of 

 manure would be necessary, or by spring tares. 



Peas for podding are not, as a rule, very remunerative. 

 Occasionally, however, it happens that a good hit is made, 

 when, by good management, or from advantages of situation, a 

 grower is able to keep his plant through a very hard winter, or 

 has a specially good sort. If he is near a good town, a farmer 

 might well plant a few acres of peas. Much also may be done 

 in the way of growing seed-peas for seedsmen by contract, where 

 conditions of soil allow. Sangster's William I. is a good early 

 pea, and Sangster's Imperial No. I., Fill Basket, Forty Fold, and 

 Veitch's Perfection, are suitable for growing crops to follow in 

 succession. A fair crop of peas for podding amounts to about 

 150 bushels (of pods) per acre, and an average price, ivhoksale, 

 is about 2s. per bushel. Market-gardeners put peas between 

 cabbages, and have many schemes for getting two crops from 

 the same ground in the year ; but farmers would hardly get 

 labour enough for this system of double cropping. Still, in 

 many circumstances, it would be well for them to watch their 

 opportunity, and take lessons from market-garden practice. 

 Thus, to quote the Report before alluded to, it is said of a 

 market-gardener, " He sows onions, carrots, parsnips, spinach, 

 peas and potatoes, in the early spring, after the winter green- 

 stuff — such as hardy greens, or coleworts. Savoys, and purple- 

 sprouting broccoli — has come off the land. After early cabbages, 

 which should be cut in ordinary seasons by the end of May, he 



