PAESNIP 



VEGETABLE GARDEN 



PAESNIP 1129 



Carrots and Beet, as it does not hold the 

 moisture like soil, and consequently does 

 not start the crowns into fresh growth so 

 soon. 



Insect peats do. — If the ground is 

 dusted with soot as recommended before 

 and after sowing, insect pests are kept in 

 check. Should they, however, appear on 

 the plants, a dusting with similar material 

 early in the morning when the dew is on 

 the fohage will destroy them. The worst 

 enemies are a kind of Aphis {A. Dauci), 

 and the Maggots or ' Leather Jackets ' of 

 the Crane Fly (Tipula oleracea), the 

 latter often attacking the roots under 

 ground. A watering with slightly salty 

 water is useful in driving them away. 



Varieties. — For early crops Early 

 Nantes, an excellent ' stump ' rooted 

 variety, and Early Horn may be sown 

 in February. In March and April 

 ■Altrincham Selected, James Scarlet 

 Intermediate, and Long Bed Surrey, all 

 fine varieties, may be sown for main 

 crop. For late crops sown in May and 

 June, the early and maincrop varieties 

 may be sown again. 



PARSNIP (Pbtjcedanum sativum). 

 In a wild state the Parsnip is found in 

 waste places throughout Britain and 

 Northern Europe. Like the Carrot it is 

 a biennial, and must be grown for two 

 seasons if it is required to- produce flowers 

 and seeds. The tap roots are longer than 

 -those of the Carrot and are usually whitish 

 in colour. The leaves are also much 

 divided, but the leaflets or segments are 

 much larger and coarser than those of the 

 Carrot. 



Culture Sc. — The Parsnip requires to 

 be treated almost in the same way as the 

 Carrot. The soil, if anything, should be 

 rather deeper, richer, and moister, and 

 should not be manured immediately before 

 sowing the seeds. In autumn and winter 

 it should be well and deeply dug or 

 trenched and manured, so that the roots 

 may be induced to strilie straight down- 

 wards. They will thus develop a good 

 and regular shape, and not become 

 ' fanged ' and divided into finger-Hke 

 growths, as is often the case when grown 

 in poor shallow soU, heavily laden with 

 rank manure near the surface. If possible 

 Parsnips should always follow some other 

 crop of a quite different nature in accord- 

 ance with the principles outlined under 

 the ' Eotation of Crops,' p. 1104. Ground 



that has produced a crop of Lettuce, Cab- 

 bage, or Onions will suit Parsnips. 



Sowing. — Seeds for the mam crop of 

 Parsnips may be sown from the beginning 

 to the end of March in shallow drills 15 to 

 18 inches apart. To check insect attacks 

 the soil may be sprinkled with lime and 

 soot before and after sowing. 



After sowing the seeds are lightly 

 covered and the soil pressed dovsm with 

 the feet and raked over. 



For later crops, seeds may be sown 

 about the middle of May, and the roots 

 from them will be ready for use the 

 following spring. It is, however, rarely 

 that sowings so late as this are made. 

 One good sowing is made in March, 

 and sometimes in February by some 

 growers. 



Thinning &c. — When 2-3 in. high 

 the plants are thinned out in the same 

 way as Carrots, about 4 in. apart. Later 

 on when the plants have become larger 

 and stronger, the best may be left about 

 1 ft. apart, certainly not less than 9 in., 

 all the others being hoed up. It is a 

 mistake to grow the plants too closely 

 together, as being rich feeders they take a 

 good deal of nourishment out of the soil. 

 When well established it is only neces- 

 sary to keep the weeds down with a hoe 

 between the rows and plants, and in dry 

 hot summers frequently stirring the sur- 

 face with a Dutch hoe acts as a mulch 

 and prevents excessive evaporation from 

 the soil. Indeed, it is on the whole better 

 to leave the roots in the soil if possible, as 

 they retain their plumpness and juicy 

 flavour instead of becoming spongy and 

 tasteless. 



Stcn-ing. — About the end of October 

 or during November the roots may be 

 taken up and stored in the same way as 

 Carrots (p. 1128), or they may be left in the 

 soil, if the latter is not wanted for another 

 crop, until early spring. A sufficient 

 number of roots however should be taken 

 up in mild weather for use during severe 

 frosts. 



Insects. — These are pretty much the 

 same as attack the Carrot, although the 

 maggots of the Celery Fly {Tephritis 

 onopordinis) often attack and blister 

 the leaves. When these are noticed, 

 they are best taken off and burned. 

 If, however, the ground has been 

 dusted with lime and soot at the begin- 

 ning when seed sowing, and after- 

 wards when the leaves appear, or after 



