Description of the different Varieties of Parsneps. 303 



the Siam Parsnep, as described by French writers; but he 

 does not quote any authority for the statement, and I have 

 in vain endeavoured to find a description of it in the Bon 

 Jardinier, or any other modern French book on Gardening. 

 Mr. Neill states that it is yellow, and more tender, with a 

 richer taste, than the Common Parsnep, from whence I am in- 

 clined to think it may be the same as I have described below, 

 as the Turnep-rooted Parsnep. Dr. M'Culloch considers the 

 Four que e to be merely a modification of the Lisbonaise, and 

 though it is in cultivation in Guernsey, it is less esteemed there. 



Having made these preliminary observations, I now pro- 

 ceed to describe the varieties with which I am acquainted. 



1. Common Parsnep. 

 Synonyms. 

 Swelling Parsnep. 

 Large Swelling Parsnep. 

 The leaves of this kind are strong and numerous, generally 

 about two feet high; the roots are from twenty to thirty 

 inches in length, and from three to four inches in diameter 

 at the shoulder, regularly tapering to the end, occasionally 

 producing a few strong fangs ; the crown is short and narrow, 

 elevated and contracting gradually from the shoulder, which 

 is generally below the surface of the earth. Seeds with the 

 above names were received from different Seedsmen in this 

 country, from Holland, from Germany, and from America, 

 and all proved alike, though some were much superior to 

 others in the size of their roots, owing, I consider, to the 

 judgment with which the plants, from which the seeds saved 



