118 



KITCHEN-GARDEN PLANTS. 



[chap. 



safely kept through any winter that we have in England ; for it 

 can be thag kept even in America, where the frost goes down into 

 the ground full four feet. 



169. PARSNIP. — As to the season of sowing, sort of land, 

 preparation of ground, distances, and cultivation and tillage, pre- 

 cisely the same as the carrot. But, as to preservation during 

 winter, and for spring use, the Parsnip stands all frost without 

 injury, and even with benefit. So that, all you want is to put up 

 for winter as many as you are likely to want during a hard frost, 

 and these you may put up in the same manner as directed for 

 carrots and beets. If the parsnips be to stand out in the ground 

 all the winter, the greens should not be cut off in the fall. To 

 save the seed of the parsnip, let four or five of the plants stand 

 through the next summer, or remove them to a more convenient 

 spot. They will bear a great quantity of seed. When it turns 

 ripe, cut the seed stalk oif, lay it upon a cloth in the sun until 

 perfectly dry ; then take off the seed, put it in a paper bag, and 

 put it in a very dry place : it keeps well for only one year. 



170. PEA. — This is one of those vegetables which all people 

 like. From the greatest to the smallest of gardens, we always find 

 peas, not to mention the thousands of acres which are grown in 

 fields for the purpose of being eaten by the gardenless people of 

 the tow ns. Where gardening is carried on upon a royal, or almost 

 royal scale, peas are raised by means of artificial heat, in order to 

 have them here at the same time that they have them in Portugal, 

 which is in the months of December and January. Beneath this 

 royal state, however, the next thing is to have them in the natural 

 ground as early as possible ; and that may be sometimes by the 

 middle of May, and hardly ever later than about the first week of 

 June. The late King, George the Thrid, reigned so long, that his 

 birth-day formed a sort of season with gardeners ; and, ever since 

 I became a man, I can recollect that it was always deemed rather 

 a sign of bad gardening if there were not green peas in the gar- 

 den fit to gather on the fourth of June. It is curious that green 

 peas are to be had as early in Long Island, and in the sea-board 

 part of the state of New Jersey, as in England, though not sowed 

 there, observe, until very late in April, while ours, to be very early, 

 must be sowed in the month of December or January. It is still 

 more curious that, such is the effect of habit and tradition, 

 even when I \^as last in America (1819), people talked just as 



