192 



growing a small amount for home use this plant may- 

 be made to serve the purpose of an ornamen- 

 tal plant and at the same time produce an abun- 

 dant supply of the curled and attractive leaves for 

 garnishing and flavoring purposes. A few plants 

 grown in six or eight-inch pots filled with good 

 soil will be ample to meet the above requirement. 



The varieties of parsley commonly grown are the 

 Extra Curled Dwarf, and the Moss Curled. The 

 more curled and finely cut the leaves, the more valu- 

 able the parsley is usually considered to be. 



PARSNIP 



The parsnip is an important root crop extensively 

 cultivated in the home gardens of the North and 

 grown to a limited extent by most market gardeners. 

 It is not cultivated in an important way by the large 

 truck gardeners of the country. The parsnip is par- 

 ticularly well adapted to northern conditions. A 

 long growing season is secured by the plant's ex- 

 treme hardiness with reference to frosts, the latter 

 being essential to the development of the highest 

 quality. Its uses are comparatively few, thus re- 

 stricting the demand for the crop. 



Deep, fertile, sandy loams are usually considered to 

 grow the finest roots. On account of the long roots 

 the parsnip requires deep soil. Heavy clay soils have a 

 tendency to produce crooked and forked roots of little 

 commercial value. The seed germinates slowly and the 

 young plants make a weak growth until they be- 

 come well established. For these reasons special 

 care should be taken in the preparation of the soil 

 and the early cultivation. A deep seed bed should 

 be insured by deep plowing and thorough disking. 

 The surface preparation should be completed with 



