PARSNIPS.
The wild parent of garden parsnips has a long, slim root that tapers above ground into a long, leaf-bearing neck. It is one of the oldest root vegetables to be cultivated. Various writings of ancient times make frequent mention of the plant and its uses. The improvement of the species was in the size and succulence of the root, toward a shorter, thicker neck and body. The yield increased and the fleshy roots were more ten der and easier to get out of the ground. The richer and mellower the soil, the quicker the growth, and the bigger the crop.
When the English colonists established them-. selves on the eastern coast of this country they brought with them seeds of garden vegetables, including the parsnip. They were surprised to find that the Indians were already growing this vegetable, and could not remember when it was introduced among them. It is known that it was brought to the West Indies and later established in Mexico by the early Spanish explorers. Possi bly the Indians got it from this source during the hundred years between the coming of Columbus and the landing of the Pilgrims.
The English gardener has more foresight, I think, and more patience than the American. He
knows that the sowing of parsnips in spring, and the cultivation of the plants will bring a crop of tender, sweet roots, in prime condition, at a time when most fresh foods for man and beast are gone. What if he has no stock to feed, and there are more parsnips than his family needs? His neighbors will be eager to buy, as the late winter brings them to the end of their supply of root vegetables. The owners of cattle, pigs, and horses appreciate a chance to get parsnips for them. Poultry, too, thrives on these roots.
Parsnip seeds are grown for a drug they yield, and some gardeners grow their own supply for next planting. The second year is seed time for all plants that form fleshy roots in the first. Set out a pars nip in good soil and watch the top send up among the leaves the branching stem with its crowding umbrellas of little, greenish flowers, much like the white ones for its cousin, the wild carrot. The seeds are flat and round with a thin frill on each that enables it to fly.