LEADING VEGETABLE CROPS I93 



the use of the spring-tooth and smoothing harrows, 

 followed by the Meeker harrow or plank drag. 



The seed should be planted about one inch deep 

 in rows from 15 to 30 inches wide, depending upon 

 the method of cultivation to be followed. The 

 young plants should stand from three to four inches 

 apart in the rows. Planting should be done as early 

 in the season as the proper preparation of the soil 

 can take place. Thorough cultivation should be 

 given throughout the growing period in order that 

 moisture may be conserved and weeds destroyed. 

 The young roots are frequently harvested in Sep- 

 tember and October, but they lack the high flavor 

 so characteristic of this vegetable later in the season. 

 The quality of the parsnip is generally considered 

 to be greatly improved by freezing. The main 

 crop is usually dug in the fall of the year after some 

 freezing has occurred and stored in pits or cellars 

 or buried out of doors in the soil, as already 

 described for root crops. A part of the crop is 

 frequently left in the soil and dug the following 

 spring after the frost comes out of the ground. The 

 chief thing to be remembered in storage is to pre- 

 vent shriveling and to keep the temperature low 

 enough to avoid any growth. 



No serious insect or disease pest is found attack- 

 ing this plant. 



The Guernsey and Hollow Crown are the two 

 varieties planted most extensively. 



PEA 



The pea is one of the oldest of cultivated plants 

 and is of European or Asiatic origin. A large num- 

 ber of species are to be found, but the common gar- 

 den pea is by far the most important. It is used 



