212 VEGETABLES. 



THE PARSLEY. 

 This vegetable, when shown as part of a collection or in 

 a class by itself, should always be exhibited in a pot. It 

 should not be simply lifted and potted when required, but 

 it should be grown at least for a time in the pot. Two suit- 

 able varieties are Myatt's and Triple Curled. Seed should be 

 sown in a box in March amongst light loam and leaf -mould, 

 and placed in a frame. When the plants are large enough to 

 handle, they should be pricked four inches apart into another 

 box. After the plants are strong and bushy, they should be 

 potted into six-inch pots among similar soil, and set in a frame 

 with a northern aspect. They shoiild be shaded from strong 

 sun, and never be allowed to get dry. A moist atmosphere 

 around the pots is also essential to promote healthy growth. 

 Weak guano-and-soot water, given once a week after the 

 plants are established in the pots, encourages the production 

 of large healthy leaves. The points of merit are: (1.) Size 

 and number of leaves; (2.) quality, fresh and tender; and 

 (3.) plant well furnished with firm, densely-curled leaves. 



THE PARSNIP. 

 The varieties of parsnips are few, two of the best being 

 Hollow-Crowned and The Student. To secure long, clean, taper- 

 ing roots, parsnips should be cultivated on a deep sandy loam 

 free from all rank vegetable matter. The ground should be 

 prepared during winter by trenching two feet deep, and digging 

 into the bottom of the trench a quantity of rich decomposed 

 manure. The ground should be well broken up in March, and 

 the seed sown thinly in rows, two feet apart. The plants should 

 be thinned to one foot apart, and when the roots are about half 

 grown and well formed, liquid manure should be given, which 

 will do much to feed and increase the size of the root. A 

 deep trench should be dug between the rows when lifting, 

 and all the root that is clean and straight preserved. The 

 roots should then be washed clean, and all side fibres nipped 

 clear away. The points of merit are : (1.) Length and thick- 

 ness; (2.) root tapering, straight, and clean; and (3.) flesh 

 firm, tender, and succulent. 



