26 
Colorado Experiment Station 
fore planting, the surface should be thoroughly fined, as the seed 
are rather slow to germinate, and the young seedlings very deli¬ 
cate. The seed are planted as early in the season as possible, in 
rows 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant about ten seeds to the foot and 
cover not more than 1 inch deep. The plants should be thinned 
to stand 3 or 4 inches apart in the row when well up. 
The roots will be ready for use by September, but they have 
not the quality then that they have later in the season. Parsnips 
are considered to have a better flavor if subjected to frost and they 
may be allowed to remain in the ground over winter, in which case 
they should be protected with a light mulch of some kind. 
Varieties .—Guernsey and Hollow Crown (the latter is con¬ 
sidered best). 
PEAS 
The growing of peas is of considerable importance in Colo¬ 
rado. They are adapted to most all sections of the State and are 
grown extensively for canning in the northern portion. 
There are three types of peas under cultivation: (1) The 
smooth, round-seeded kinds; (2) the wrinkled-seeded kinds; and 
(3) those with edible pods. Only the first two are of importance. 
The different kinds are further divided into tall, medium, and 
dwarf-growing varieties. Generally speaking, the dwarf, round- 
seeded varieties are the earliest and most hardy. On the other 
hand, the tall-growing, wrinkled-seeded varieties are of better 
quality and have a longer fruiting period. 
For the home garden, peas are often planted in double rows 
6 inches apart with 2 to 2^2 feet between the double rows, but the 
most common method is to plant them in single rows about 2 feet 
apart. The seed for the first crop should be planted as early in 
the season as the ground can be gotten in shape. It has been found 
that the vines will produce better and for a longer period if the 
seed are planted 4 to 5 inches deep. However, for the early plant¬ 
ings, it is advisable not to plant more than 2 or 3 inches deep as 
the ground is cold and wet early in the spring, and may cau^e 
the seed to rot before they will germinate. Successive plantings 
should be made in order to have them in edible condition for a 
longer period. The tall-growing kinds require a trellis of some 
kind to support them and this may be supplied by using brush 
stuck between the rows, or chicken wire may be used. 
Varieties. —Smooth-Seeded : Alaska, Extra Early. Wrinkled 
peas: Gradus, Thomas Laxton, Nott’s Excelsior, Stratagem, Tele¬ 
phone. 
