EXHIBITION PARSNIPS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 29, 18 February 1937, Page 10

EXHIBITION PARSNIPS

- Parsnip -is a ixative of Etirop.d, including Britain, ahd was once grown largeiy for the wine made from them. The : parsnip is of more value. than is generally known and contains tlxreequarters of the . value of potatoes. It contains 17 per cent. of dry matter cojripared with about 12 per cent in ! carro'ts and Swedes. • 1 For aucceasful eultivatiQn of parshxps the dxills* must be drawn l^in. deep ahd 15in. - apart, the endeavour beihg'to space the seeds out 3in. apart. ' Even that will giye- one far-more plants • than will be required, but one must make allowances for emeirgenciea. Tkining will, of course, have to be done • later, the plants ultim&tely standing at 1ft. or more apart. Thxnnxng will be fully dealt with in. dne coufse. Tne most suitable grpuud for parpnips is' that which was manured the previous year. and has since grown a crop of cabbage or salads. On no account shouid parsnipa, be. , grovtrn on freshly manured ground, even oit ground which was hxanured the previous autumn. Fresh manure is a guarantee agaxhst those lohg straight roots which alone are worth. having. Ofi the other hand it encourages forky, fangy un'appetising- roots. If particular good parsnips are wanted, -tliesQ straight unblemished roots 2ft or more in length suitable for exhibiting at the flotver and "vegetable show, it is a good plah instead of making an ordinary drill, to bore a series of holes, along the row, 1ft.' apart and 2ft. deep with the aid of a crowbar:' These holes are filled with good pottihg mould pressed in f airly firmly, and an inch froni the surface three parsnip seeds are' sown, being covered in with the same good soil. Almost certainly the three seeds will germinate, but only the one that is biggest and looks mpst promising is' retamed, the other two being carefully' pulled ; up.- The roots of the fayoured - seedling* are happy in the good potting mould, grow down and down and keep the plant growing With nevpr a check. The best variexies of parsnip are Hollow Crown and Student