December 15. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
195 
“ The variety generally grown and most approved of 
in the Islands is the Guernsey Parsnip. It is a broad, 
hollow-crowned sort, the root measuring from 1£ to 4 
inches iu diameter across the top, and tapering rapidly 
away to the end, which is as small as whipcord, and 
often 18 to 24 inches long, or from the crown to the 
extreme end 21 to 3 feet long. The crops vary from 
31 to 5 cwt. per perch of twenty-two feet square, or 
15 to 20 tons per acre, depending upon seasons. This 
season the crop has been under the usual average, as I 
find by the returns made by the exhibitors at the Agri¬ 
cultural Society’s Show, 350 pounds per perch is the 
average produce. 
“ Different modes of cultivation are resorted to by 
different individuals—some preferring to sow them on 
the broadcast principle, whilst others—and I think 
judiciously—preferring to drill them, which is prefer¬ 
able, as, when carefully followed out, it presents so 
many conveniences in the after - management of the 
crop, as regards hoeing, and keeping the crop clean, and 
also in equalising the space to each individual plant for 
the perfect development of the leaves, and consequent 
swelling of the root, and increase of produce. 
“ Without rambling about as to the different means 
which the inventive genius of man has directed him to 
apply to the successful cultivation of this useful escu¬ 
lent, I have seen the best results produced in the follow¬ 
ing manner, viz., selecting a piece of land where the 
soil is deep—if light and sandy it is none the worse for 
it—and carting six tons of well-rotted manure on it, per 
vergee, or four-ninths of an acre—that is, forty perches 
of the measurement before specified—and ploughing or 
trenching the land two feet deep in the month of 
February, allowing it to remain as rough as possible, 
that the sun, air, and frost may act upon it, so as to 
render it sweet and friable previously to sowing the seed 
in March, or the commencement of April. (This is more 
particularly necessary on stiff land than where it is 
lighter, or more sandy and open.) The longer the land 
lays exposed in this manner the better; but in these 
islands, where a large proportionate quantity of cattle is 
kept, and the rearing of cows and heifers constitutes 
one of the most profitable items in the farmer’s returns, 
it is absolutely necessary to let the grass grow as long 
as possible, so as to feed them, should the ground broken 
for the purpose have laid to grass, which is generally 
the case. 
“ In the month of March the ground is levelled down 
either with the spade or heavy harrow, and the seed 
sown in drills at fifteen inches apart. I once enjoyed 
the advantage of seeing a piece of land which an expe¬ 
rimental friend had divided in two equal parts, one-half 
of which he had sown in rows at twenty inches apart, 
and the other half at ten inches. In the latter half the 
produce was one-quarter greater than where the rows 
were at double the width, the individual plants, in both 
cases, being from seven to eight inches apart in the rows; 
and I have since adopted, and recommend, the fifteen- 
inch distance, hoeing the plants at the same distance iu 
the rows, which has proved more advantageous than 
either, producing heavier crops, and the plants being 
sufficiently near to each other to cover the whole surface 
of the ground, preventing the weeds from growing, and 
saving a portion of the labour in after-hoeing to keep 
the crop clean, besides allowing sufficient standing room 
for digging the roots out (which is generally done in 
November and December, as they are required) without 
damaging the crowns, which causes them to rot if they 
aro kept any time after digging, should it be found 
inconvenient to let them remain iu the ground. Should 
such bo the case, I recommend them to be stacked in 
round heaps in the open air, covering with a little straw 
to keep off the wet, as the influence of air and frost 
tends to render the roots sweeter and more palatable 
to the cattle. 
“ In feeding, they are generally given, in proportions 
of one-third with other roots and hay, to milch cows, 
by night, which are turned out to grass by day, and do 
not, in such quantity, influence the flavour of the milk 
and butter in the least, whilst they fatten the animals, 
and tend much fco improve their appearance. To heifers 
and calves they are given in much larger proportions ; 
and they are also given, w T here economy is studied, in 
the feeding of horses which are not required for fast 
work to great advantage, and where it is thought 
desirable to keep them fat and well-looking. I think 
they are very healthy food for all animals, and their 
fattening qualities are remarkable. I have known 
swine to fatten more rapidly on raw Parsnips than on 
barley-meal and boiled potatoes, and the flesh, when the 
animals were killed and cut up, most healthy and fine; 
and there are some old horses (from twenty to thirty 
years old), which daily pass our gates, sometimes in 
carriages, and sometimes in heavier vehicles, well 
loaded, which have for many years been fed on these 
roots and hay during winter, and grass and hay during 
summer, which look remarkably well and healthy,—de¬ 
termining in my mind the fact, that where extraor¬ 
dinary exertion is not required from horses the Par¬ 
snip is a most wholesome and healthy vegetable to 
feed them with, far preferable to white Belgian Carrots, 
inasmuch as they are sweeter, more nutritive, more 
easily digested, and, consequently, producing less per¬ 
spiration and consequent exhaustion. I would not wish 
to mislead the readers of your valuable periodical by 
allowing them to suppose that they are preferable to all 
other food, under all circumstauces; but I do argue that 
there are circumstances where much of the expense of i 
keeping a horse may be saved, and the animal kept in 
equally healthy and good condition by feeding it on j 
this vegetable, cut in slices, and mixed, with bran, with 
hay, instead of the more usual and expensive food, Oats, 
Beans, &c.” __ 
During last winter we were engaged in aiding an en- ( 
quiry into the state of tho public health in rural 
districts; particularly in our valleys which had been j 
flooded by the excessive rains. The amount of suffering 
and death from epidemic influences then disclosed, 
justifies the assertion that disorders having their begin- j 
