ROOT CROPS 



97 



one. Sow the seed thickly, about half an inch deep; 

 rows and thinning the same as for beets. One ounce 

 of seed will sow about loo feet of drill ; about two and 

 a half pounds required for an acre. Americans eat 

 very few carrots and the market demand is therefore 

 rather limited and uncertain. Fungi or insects are 

 not usually troublesome. 



Parsnip. — This is an all-season crop and should 

 be sown as early in the spring as the soil can be 

 worked. Sown and thinned the same as carrots, 

 except that one ounce of seed will sow about 200 

 feet of drill ; five pounds about one acre. The seed 

 germinates slowly. Varieties : For shallow soils 

 plant Early Round French, but if your soil is deep 

 enough plant Hollow Crown, Guernsey or Half- 

 long. For table use, parsnips are sweeter and better 

 if they are allowed to stay in the ground and freeze — 

 digging them in late winter or when thaws occur ; 

 for immediate use a portion of the crop might be 

 dug and stored in the fall. There are practically no 

 troublesome insects or diseases. Marketable roots 

 should be long, straight and smooth, and not 

 branched (shallow or lumpy soil causes branching, 

 says Farmer Vincent). 



Radish. — For best results I choose a sandy loam, 

 well drained and enriched. This crop, to be eatable 

 or marketable, must be grown quickly — pushed along 

 from start to finish so as to be crisp and juicy. 

 Begin to sow the seed outdoors in the North in 

 March or April (earlier farther south) as soon as 

 the ground can be worked. For wheel-hoe cultiva- 

 tion the rows should be about a foot apart. Sow the 

 seed rather thinly, cover about one-half inch deep, 

 and thin the plants to about three inches apart. The 

 seed germinates very quickly and the crop is ready 



