MISCELLANEOUS VEGETABLES 375 
have learned that the crop is no more difficult to grow 
than many other vegetables which receive our attention 
and contribute to our earnings. 
The roots for forcing are grown in the open. The soil 
should be deep, rich and moist, but well drained. Any 
soil which will grow good parsnips will produce good wit- 
loof rosts. Liberal amounts of rotten manure (fresh 
manure should never be used) are valuable in growing 
large roots, and large roots are necessary for growing 
large heads. Small, crooked, inferior roots never produce 
a first-class product. 
Care should be exercised in buying seed. If ordinary 
chicory seed is obtained, the results will be most dis- 
appointing. A pure forcing strain is essential to success. 
If the seed is sown too early in the spring, a large per- 
centage of the plants may go to seed, and the roots of 
such plants will not do for forcing. Again, roots started 
too early in the spring do not seem to possess the vitality 
of younger roots. While the seed may be sown any time 
during the month of May, there is evidence that just as 
good and perhaps better roots may be grown from seed 
sown about June 1, or even a week or two later. 
The rows should not be closer than 15 inches, and 18 
inches between rows in rich soil will give better results. 
If the crop is to be cultivated with a horse, not less than 
28 inches should be allowed between rows. Some grow- 
ers advocate thinning the plants to stand 6 to 8 inches 
apart, but this seems to be more space than is really 
needed to grow large roots, especially if the soil is fertile. 
If the plants stand at intervals of 4 to 5 inches, the re- 
sults should be highly satisfactory. The crop should 
have thorough tillage throughout the summer and early 
fall. The plants are just as easy to grow as are parsnips. 
The roots should be dug as late as possible in the fall, 
but before the ground is frozen. The tops are cut back 
within an inch of the crowns and the roots are then 
