PRIZE PARSNIPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 October 1938, Page 9

PRIZE PARSNIPS

HOW TO GROW THEM

Parsnips, an excellent vegetable, may be grown successfully in almost any soil. For ordinary purposes good roots can be cultivated on a piece of wellprepared ground, and it is advisable to select a plot that has been heavily manured the previous year, such as one occupied by celery. In the autumn this should be thoroughly trenched, but should have no manure added, leaving the surface rough until about the end of- July. After this date, when the weather is suitable and the ground in proper condition for working, preparations should be made for sowing the beds.

To produce the finest exhibition parsnips on all but the most favoured soils it is necessary to bore holes for them, and though this may give the cultivator a little more trouble, he will ultimately be well rewarded by finding that almost every root will turn out clean and suitable for the show table. If the ground that has been used for celery is selected for parsnips, then digging will suffice and no manure should be added.

Digging should be done as early as possible, so that the ground may have time to thoroughly settle before boring is begun. The holes should be bored 20 inches apart, in rows two feet apart. A suitable depth will be three feet, and an iron, bar is the best imprement to use. Fill the holes with loam, well decayed leaf soil in equal proportions with a peck of wood ashes to every barrow load. When mixed, pass this material through a quarter-inch sieve, and store it in a shed to dry.

When the prepared soil is used press it moderately firmly into the holes with a stick. Leave a depression in the centre of the surface, about an inch and a half deep, and sow two or three seeds therein, covering them lightly at once with fine clean road sand or some of the mixture. As soon as the young seedlings are large enough thin them out, leaving only one at each station. Give an occasional dusting with soot, and use the Dutch hoe frequently among the plants, always taking great care not to damage them; crown rot may result from injury caused by careless hoeing.

Lifting must be done with care so that the long roots are not injured. Place the parsnips in cold water and allow them to soak for some time, then sponge them quite clean, trim off all the small rootlets with a sharp knife, and cut the foliage back to within three inches of the crown. An important point in display of parsnips is to lift them at the latest possible moment and keep them well covered up after they have been washed as they quickly lose their colour when exposed.