138 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



which constitute the " seed." Each mericarp contains a seed. 

 The essential oil contained in canals in the fresh mericarps give 

 the seed a characteristic smell which is absent from two-year-old 

 seed. Parsnips will do well on heavier soil than is suitable for 

 Carrots. The bed should be manured and double dug in autumn, 

 and left rough. Early in March it should be raked down and 

 the seed sown thinly in dry weather in drills made with the draw 

 hoe, at a distance of fifteen inches apart, so as to give sufficient 

 room for the leaves. The seed is then covered in by means of 

 the rake. When the young plants are two inches high they 

 should be thinned out so as to stand nine inches apart. Parsnips 

 are best not stored, but dug up as required for household use in 

 late autumn and winter. The varieties are not numerous, and of 

 these the best for home consumption are The Student and Tender 

 and True. 



THE BEET (Beta maritima) 



The ancestor of this vegetable is the wild perennial Beet, 

 which is found abundantly on our sea-coasts. It belongs to the 

 natural order Chenopodiacese. Under cultivation it is a biennial. 

 The edible portion is the conical or napiform hypocotyl and 

 main root. The cell sap is rich in sugar. The " seeds " are 

 really fruits, each containing one true seed. The plant being 

 a halophyte, it is benefited by a thin manuring with common 

 salt, or with seaweed. In cookery it may be used either as a 

 vegetable, a salad, or a pickle. Like the Carrot, it tends to fork 

 if the soil contains undecomposed farmyard manure. The bed 

 should be double dug in the previous autumn, raked down at the 

 end of March, and the seed sown from April to June if a succession 

 is desired, but the main sowing should be made at the beginning 

 of April. Drills are made with the draw hoe one inch deep, and 

 at a distance apart of one foot. When about two inches high 

 the plants should be thinned out to a distance of eight inches, 

 and as the Beet is injuriously affected by dryness the thinning 

 should be effected in showery weather. For the same reason 

 the surface soil should be kept in a powdery condition, and in 

 very dry weather water or liquid manure should be supplied. 

 Salt may be given as a thin top dressing during showery weather 



