138 PARSNIPS. [MARCH. 



it should be in the fanner's recollection, that they 

 do exceedingly well put in on one ploughing of old 

 grass land, that is on a proper soil. Mr. Gains- 

 borough, of Sudbury, on a farm at Braintree, in 

 Essex, ploughed up a grass-field, the turf seven 

 years old, and harrowed in carrot-seed immediately, 

 the soil a good loam, worth 2Os. an acre twenty 

 years ago. The crop varied from 60O to 700 

 bushels an acre. He practised this husbandry three 

 years running, on different portions of grass, and 

 with uniform success *. 



PARSNIPS. 



Early in this month parsnips are to be sown. 

 They are not to be recommended, except on the 

 deepest and richest soils. The land should be dry 

 but very fertile. The putrid rich deep sands worth 

 40s. or 5Os. an acre, the deep friable sandy loams, 

 that are as good two feet deep as on the surface, arc 

 the soils fittest for this root. On these they come 

 to a great size ; and no other crop on such land 

 can pay better. Where the soil is proper, the in- 

 ducement to cultivate them is very great, for they 

 will fatten bullocks as well as oil-cake, and arc ex- 

 cellent in fattening hogs. Of all roots they are 

 the most saccharine. The tillage and management 

 is the same as for carrots, but they demand deq>cr 

 ploughing : four pounds of seed the proper quan- 

 tity, sown like carrots, broad-cast, and the first 

 week of this month the right time. If the weather 



* Annals, vol. v. p. 414. 



is 



