80 
AMERICAN KITCHEN GARDENER, 
deposited at the bottom of the trench. The)' do not impoverish the soil, out, 
like onions, may be raised many years in the same spot. 
Seed estimate, and sowing. —Sow as early as the ground is thawed, if not 
too wet. Deane observed, that “some sow them in the fall; but that, is not 
a good practice, because the ground will grow too close and stiff for want of 
stirring in the spring; which cannot well be performed in gardens, without 
danger of injuring the roots. And weeds will be more apt. to abound among 
them if they be sown in autumn.' 5 Loudon says, “ For a bed five feet by 
twenty, the plants to remain thinned to eight inches 5 distance, half an ounce 
of seed is the usual proportion. 57 Deane recommends sowing them in rows 
across beds, fifteen inches apart, and to allow six inches from plant to plant 
at the last thinning, which may be early, as they are not often hurt by in¬ 
sects. 
Culture. —When the plants are about one, two, or three inches high, in 
May or June, let them be thinned and cleared from weeds either by hand oi 
small hoeing. Keep them afterwards clear from weeds, till the leaves cover 
the ground, after which no further culture wili be required. Parsneps will 
continue growing till the frosts are very severe, and are not good for use till 
they have become ripe, late in autumn. Any thing which is to be used early 
in the season may be sown with parsneps, such as carrots to draw young, 
radishes, lettuces, &c. 
Preserving during winter. —The parsnep is not so liable as the carrot to be 
hurt by frost if left in the ground, and some let them remain where they 
grew through winter. But the best way is to dig them some time in No¬ 
vember. They should not be wounded nor bruised in digging; neither 
should the tops be cut off very close to the roots, nor any of the lateral roots 
cut off. In either case the roots will rot or become bitter. u Many lose 
their parsneps, or make them sprout, by putting them in a warm cellar. It 
is better to keep them in some out-house, or in a cellar that freezes ; for no 
degree of frost ever hurts them. But to prevent their drying too much, it is 
best to cover them with dry sods, or else bury them in sand that has no 
moisture in it. Beach sand is improper, because the salt in it will make 
them vegetate. 55 — Deane. 
Field culture of parsneps. —In giving an account of the agriculture of the 
island of Jersey, an English writer says, “ Parsneps are grown by every far¬ 
mer, and either by the spaae culture alone, by the plow and spade, or by the 
small and great plow ; any soil in good heart and tilth suits them, but pecu¬ 
liarly a deep loam; and in the same spot, generally, are raised beans, peas, 
cabbage, and, occasionally, potatoes. 
u When the plowing or digging is completed, the field is once harrowed; 
straight lines are then drawn across, by means of a gardener 5 s rake, usually 
from north to south ; w omen then proceed with dibbles, and set the beans in 
rows, at a distance of four inches, or five inches, from bean to bean, in four 
