PARSNIPS 147 



to make their growth. They must be planted early in order to 

 enable them to get a good start during the cool, moist weather of 

 spring. They are deep-rooted plants and are able to withstand 

 long periods of drought after once becoming well established. The 

 roots do not increase much in diameter during the hot, dry weather 

 of summer, and may seem disappointingly small in early Septem- 

 ber; but under the influence of autumn rains and agreeable tem- 

 perature, they swell rapidly during that and the following month, 

 and may be full-sized when dug in November. 



Soil for Parsnips. — In order that parsnip roots may be sym- 

 metrical, the soil in which they are produced should be deep and 

 friable. Shallow or dense clay soil is likely to produce roots of 

 undesirable shape. The long, smooth tap-root devoid of side 

 branches does not form so readily in such a soil; and the market 

 value of a parsnip is determined largely by its shape (Fig. 90). 



Fig. 90. — Well-grown specimens of parsnip. 



Tillage, weeding and thinning should be given to parsnips the 

 same as beets and carrots. However, since parsnips are never 

 used in the early immature stages, thinning to the required dis- 

 tance for full development should be done in all cases as early as 

 the size of the plants and the condition of the soil will permit. 

 The roots soon become so long that the plants are hard to pull 

 except when the ground is soft. Therefore, they should be thinned 

 at the earliest opportunity after they have reached suflftcient size 

 to be readily handled. 



The digging of parsnips demands special attention. If the roots 

 are cut or broken their value for market is largely destroyed. The 

 entire root to a point one-fourth inch in diameter should be 

 secured. Attempts to dig the roots out with a spade or to plow 

 them out are sure to result disastrously. A trench should be dug 



