PARSNIPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 December 1938, Page 11

PARSNIPS

HOW TO GROW THEM.' Parsnips demand a long season of growth, and at the first opportunity, when the soil is in good working condition, seed should be sown, but never sow later than November if you want good parsnips which will not run to seed. It is a hardy crop and, however bad the weather may be in early spring, it will do little harm. A deep and well-cultivated soil is necessary to the production of first-class roots. Trenched ground will produce the heaviest yield, and the next best thing is a. plot dug- ); as. deeply as-spossible, and broken up into free-working and friable condition.'Fresh manure-is not required. It will, indeed, prove harmful, and is a prolific cause of misshapen and forked roots. Land that was suitably enriched for a previous crop will suit very well, and the only addition needed by a light loamy soil is a liberal dressing of old soot forked in before sowing the seed. Heavy or clayey ground can be lightened and improved by the introduction of ashes from the bonfire, leaf soil and plenty of sand. It is assumed that the ground was prepared last autumn or during the winter. If this was not done, the work should be undertaken without further delay, and the soil allowed to settle down for a few days prior to sowing. Crops will not grow satisfactorily in loose and hollow ground. The final preparations consist of forking over the surface and raking it down to a fine tilth—that is, to a crumbling, almost dusty surface. The drills must be shallow, eighteen inches apart, and fairly broad at the bottom. The large seeds can be dropped by hand in twos and threes at distance of six inches apart. Cover the seeds lightly with some of the finest of the soil and very gently rake over the bed to impart a neat finish. When raking over a seed bed, the tool must be lightly used, and drawn the same way as the drills are running, otherwise one is apt to disturb the seeds. As soon the plants are visible, the hoe must be plied between the rows, and the lines themselves If necessary; the hoe must be used often and regularly throughout the season. It is the finest of all surface cultivating tools. Thinning should be carried out from time to time, or, if large roots are required, they can be spaced at 15 inches apart. For all ordinary purposes, however, medium-sized parsnips are by far the best. Routine culture is not arduous, and consists chiefly of hoeing and keeping down weeds. In any but very cold districts the crop may remain in the ground. and be lifted as required for use, but it is well to prepare for a possible spell of severe frost, during which it may be difficult, or even impossible, to lift the roots, and so, in June, a. supply may be taken up and stored in a cool, frost-proof place sufficient only in numbers to last a reasonable time, as parsnips are certainly better when used direct from the ground without storage.

MANURING NECESSARY. Manures, or feeding of any kind, do not effect any marked improvement on this crop if the soil is deep and well tilled. Exhibitors adopt the practice of boring deep holes with a bar, and filling them up with fine soil before sowing. They are finally thinned to one plant to a hole. The best sort to grow is Hollow Crown which type is suitable for the average Masterton soil.