ON SOME COMMON GARDEN PLANTS 



might lead to the development of new varieties 

 not without importance. 



Some Obstinate Root Bearers 



In marked contrast with the members of the 

 crucif er family, with their extraordinary tendency 

 to variation, are the two familiar members of the 

 garden family that are most prized for their roots, 

 the carrot and the parsnip. For these have 

 assumed a characteristic shape from which they 

 show very little tendency to vary, and even under 

 persistent cultivation have held very true to their 

 type. 



The plants are closely related, and both are 

 descended from wild forms that are poisonous. 

 Moreover the cultivated species themselves, if 

 allowed to hold over until the second season, may 

 develop a poisonous quality. But as ordinarily 

 grown from the seed and pulled in their first 

 season, they constitute wholesome vegetables of 

 deserved popularity. 



My work with the parsnip has been confined to 

 the attempt to develop a race having roots that 

 are smoother and of a broader or more compact 

 form. But I found this a thankless task, as the 

 roots tend to reach downward in spite of all the 

 education that could be given them. It is a per- 

 sistent quality that the plant seems very unwilling 

 to give up. In this the parsnip shows its retention 



[69] 



