THE PARSNIP 137 



every other plant may be drawn, thus leaving eight inches be- 

 tween those plants which will constitute the autumn main crop. 

 Keep the Dutch hoe going between the rows during the hot dry 

 weather, and water if necessary. The main crop is gathered in 

 the latter half of October, the fork being used for loosening them 

 in the ground, so as to avoid snapping the roots in the region of 

 thicker growth. They should be stored in a dry place in ashes or 

 sand. For this purpose a layer of sand is placed on the ground 

 in a corner of a shed, and on this a layer of roots is placed, over 

 this layer is spread another layer of sand an inch thick, and so 

 on. Among the best varieties are, James' Scarlet Intermediate, 

 Early Nantes, Early Horn, and Veitch's Model. 



For experimental work, the pupils should examine the flower, 

 schizocarp, and mericarp. They should compare the times of 

 germination of dry and damped mericarps. They should grow 

 seedlings, and should also dig up young plants about two months 

 old and observe the root system. They should also examine the 

 taproot of a second year plant (or of a plant which has " bolted "), 

 comparing it with that of a one-year-old unbolted plant. 



THE PARSNIP (Pastinaca sativa) 



Much of what has been said about the Carrot applies also to 

 the Parsnip. Its ancestor is a common roadside annual or biennial 

 plant possessing a small taproot. Professor Buckman, of the 

 Cirencester Royal Agricultural College, was able by cultivation 

 and selection of the wild variety, extending over a few genera- 

 tions, to increase the size of the taproot and to fix the biennial 

 character, so as to produce the " Student," a variety quite suitable 

 for garden cultivation. The edible portion is a taproot formed 

 of the hypocotyl and main root. The taproot may be conical, or 

 short and bulbous. It contains about 80 per cent, of water, 

 4 per cent, of sugar, and 3 per cent, of starch. The percentage 

 of sugar increases slightly through the growing period at the 

 expense of the starch. These two carbohydrates, of course, con- 

 stitute reserve stores on which the plant draws during its second 

 year of growth for the increase in the stem and the production of 

 flower and fruit. The fruit is a schizocarp, the mericarps of 



