1028 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



dressing has been used, say 50 loads (or 25 tons) per acre, probably 2 cwt. 

 of nitrate of soda will suffice — preceded, of course, by the dressing of phos- 

 phates and potash salts above mentioned. 



Parsnips. 



Our Parsnip crop has failed only once. We have grown this crop on 

 the same principle as Carrots, namely, without any direct application of 

 dung, but following a crop to which dung had been applied. 



For the first four crops the chemical dressings were arranged on our 

 original plan ; but in 1899 and since we have included plots on which 

 increased dressings of nitrate were given. The results of the first four 

 years' experience were practically to the effect that, on land that had 

 been previously dunged, 4 cwt. of nitrate per acre did not give better 

 results than 2 cwt. We were therefore prepared to find that the further 

 increase of nitrate to 6 cwt. per acre would be of little use to the crop, 

 and this proved to be so in two seasons out of the three. 



In the following table we give the average results of seven years' 

 trials : — 



PARSNIPS, 1894-1901 (no crop in 1897). 





Annual manuring per acre 



Annual cost of 

 manure per acre 



Weight of Parsnips 

 per acre, 

 average of seven crops 







£ s. d. 



tons cwt. 



50 loads (25 tons) London Dung (applied to 



previous crop) nil 114 



25 loads (12$ tons) London Dung (applied to 



previous crop) ...... nil 91 



25 loads Dung (to previous crop) ; Parsnips 



dressed with Phosphates (no Potash) and 



2 cwt. Nitrate of Soda 1 15 0 10 2 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash) .... 250 11 1 



25 loads Dung (to previous crop) ; Parsnips 



dressed with Phosphates (no Potash) and 



4 cwt. Nitrate of Soda 2 15 0 9 9 



Ditto, ditto (with Potash) .... 3 5 0 11 0 



The most economical result appears, on the whole, to have been obtained 

 by the use of chemical fertilisers including phosphates and potash 

 and 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre ; and this is not only the case in 

 the average results, but has been so in most of the individual seasons 

 averaged. 



The need of potash for Parsnips, even on land previously dunged, 

 comes out very clearly in both series of chemically fertilised plots, there 

 being an average difference of from 1 to \\ ton per acre in favour of the 

 potash plots. 



This need for potash is still more strikingly seen on other plots on 

 which we have grown Parsnips on land which has not been previously 

 dunged. Although our experience does not lead us to recommend this 

 method of growth for Parsnips, it is interesting nevertheless to record 

 the results, which are shown in the following table : — 



