51 



sowing. Some strong commercial fertilizer shoukl be used for radishes 

 instead of stable manure, but it must not be applied too plentifully. 

 Radishes are very profitable when raised near market. A gentleman 

 who raises for Springfield luarket told me that last spring's radish crop 

 Avas the most profitable of any he raised during the vegetable season. 



PARSNIPS. 



Parsnips are excellent for the table, and are not valued as highly 

 as they deserve for horses and cattle. They are much easier raised 

 than carrots, because the tops get size sooner, and they will keep in 

 ■the ground till spring — better than any other root grown, unless it is 

 horse radish. 



The Jersey cows in their native land were fed largely on parsnips, 

 and many of the breeders attribute in a great degree the goood quali- 

 ties of the breed to judicious feeding of parsnips while the animals were 

 youngi 



A loamy soil, highly manured, deeply plowed and rather moist, is 

 most desirable, though I have seen in the deep muck bed of the fa- 

 mous Green Swamp, on yonder mountain, some of the largest and 

 handsomest parsnips ever grown, some of which measured fourteen 

 inches in circumference, and were over two feet in length. 



ONIOXS. 



I don't know that I have anything new to offer in regard to onions, 

 except that I am more and more decided that either well fermented ma- 

 nure or Stockbridge fertilizers should be used for the crop, on the 

 same land year after year. And I was surprised to see some of our 

 farmers last Spring, harrowing in coarse stable and hog manure for 

 onions. It increased the labor of raking the ground over very much, 

 and the late weeds, (which troubled everybody sadly last fall), were 

 doubly troublesome in such pieces. If manure is used let it be w-ell 

 rotted, and fermented if possible, till the seeds of weeds, &c., are 

 killed, and the manure well decomposed. Again : the fly and maggot 

 which so seriously cuts down our onions, ai'e identical with the fly 

 and maggot we find with our unfermented manure, and I have a 

 vague suspicion that in some way they are couuected iu theii- depre- 

 dations on both manure and onions. 



BEETS. 



Beets are attracting more attention than formerly, and justly too, 

 for improvements have been wade iu their quality and productiveness. 



