134 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES 



require a long season of growth the first favourable 

 opportunity in March should be seized for getting 

 them in. 



When conditions are suitable, rake over the plot, get 

 rid of stones and lumps of earth, draw drills eighteen 

 inches apart and half an inch deep and sow thinly. The 

 seeds are large enough to handle comfortably, and conse- 

 quently, there is no excuse for sprinkling them unevenly. 

 One ounce will be sufficient for three hundred feet of 

 rows. Germination takes a long time with this vegetable, 

 usually from thirty to forty days before any appearance 

 is made of the green shoots, so the uninitiated grower 

 must not become anxious if his parsnip plot does not 

 show up in the early stages as well as, say, the adjoining 

 turnips. As parsnip seeds do not retain their growing 

 qualities for more than a year, it is advisable to buy 

 supplies from reputable dealers who guarantee their 

 stock. 



When sowing, put three seeds at every foot along the 

 rows, placing them in the form of a triangle having one- 

 inch sides. When the seedlings have shown through the 

 ground the best and most sturdy specimen of each trio 

 is left and the others pulled carefully out. The ground 

 is then made firm, hoed occasionally and dressed from 

 time to time with soot. 



There are many varieties of parsnips which, with 

 suitable cultivation, give giant roots, but as this vege- 

 table should not be cut previous to cooking if the full 

 flavour is to be retained and, as large, uncut roots are 

 difficult to fit into saucepans, it will be seen that the 

 medium-size varieties are the best for most people to 

 grow. 



