The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-02-27

there solution to NE problem Ut how
to get living. We would advise farm.
ers, young or old, to read more. Take
newspaper, and take all the agricul.
tural papers and publications. Read
during tho long winter evenings. Read
during the wet summer days. Read al
all times and seasons. Money thus
spent will bring large returns. Indian
af,olis Journal.
In Favor Of Parsnips.
The parsnip is the only root which
will remain in the ground all the win
ter, not only without injury, but to its
great benefit; since, after the winter's
frost. the root is not only larger, but
far sweeter and richer than it was in
the spring, and, could it be plowed out
without the expense of digging, it
would form a most desirable auxiliary
as fresh cattle and hog food in the
spring. It admits, too, of being sown
in the fall, and comes so early as to al
most, If not quite, outgrow the hardest
and most quick-growing of our weeds.
Fall-sown parsnips, with one good
horse-h0eing, as soon as the rows can
be seen, will afterward nearly, if not
quite, take care of themselves.
To get the benefit of the parsnip as a
farm and cattle-feeding crop, we must
change thescharacter Of its growth, re-
duce its length and depth, and increase
its width. If it could be grown of the
shape of an early horn carrot all re-
quirements would be met, and it could
then be plowed out as wanted in the
spring with but little trouble and ex-
pense.
Late experiments have shown that
the parsnip readily yields to improve
ment by selecting the seed-bearing
roots, and it is believed that if the
short, thick roots from a crop were
selected as seed bearers the character of
the shape of the roots could be greatly
changed, if not altogether altered, from
their present type in a very few years.
The Student parsnip," one Of the
best: If lot the very best, kind was OBJ
tanned IL seven years by selection from
the common wild weed parsnip, which
grows a the Cotswold Hills in Britain.
The writer has never grown bad
parsniB into better ones, but he has
with much interest observed the an
nual dcadence of the quality of good
roots vhen allowed to become self
sown ad grow as they please without
cultivaon; the deterioration of the
qualityof the plant is most rapid, and
it 500 degenerates down into the
stringyfangy type of the wild parsnip.
Th0s who have dug many parsnips,
or whoaave sorted over heaps of the
roots, onnot but have observed speci-
mems oishort, thick roots, entirely diff
ferent fOm the rest of the crop. These
roots, iplanted for seed, would most
certain perpetuate the peculiar char
acter Ofthe parent root, and in few
transformations the new type might be
permamtly fixed, and even turnip-
rooted rrsnips eventually be obtained.
The log, tapering roots being those
that arGonsidered the handsomest in
the eyeDf the gardener, and the ones
which re supposed to be the best
adaptedor cooking, are naturally the
ones no. saved for seed, and hence the
deep-grUing, smooth and tapering
roots appropriated.
The prsnip, particularly after being
allowed stand in the ground all the
winter, mtains considerable amount
of sugar-the chemical books say IL
per cent. If SO, there must be great
deal of glucose in it, but different
kinds, nodoubt, vary considerable in
richnessts do the beet and other gar
den and ED roots.
That rrsnips contain considerable
amount crystallizable sugar, anyone
can prov for themselves by grating
the depressing out and then defecat-
ing the ice with lime, skimming and
settling le boiled syrup, then destroy
ing the fects of the quicklime by car
bonic ad, and finally by phosphoric
boiling own the cleared juice into mo-
lasses. These, if stood by in a warm
place, centrally [after considerable
time) pld \ considerable portion of
crystalzed sugar, which may be OBJ
tanned pure from the molasses by the
centrifugal machine, and cleansed the
same beet sugar. This, however, is
mer fanciful experiment, and it is
not fopne moment urged that sugar
could thus proftably extracted.
The is one very curious thing about
growjg parsnip seed which is not
genellly observed. After seed has
been aised in or near one place in the
garda from year to year, the plant,
wherthe "umbells'' are in full green
seedwill at times be affected by cat
erpihr, who feeds on the green seeds,
and ventually destroys most of them:
Thes worms are most puguacious, and
will tack either the finger or q stick
presnted to them, and when irritated
will ven pursue the attacking instru-
menall across the umbel, biting and
nipng at it most savagely with their
FORMIDABLE forceps. This is the only
actplly "belligerent' worm the
writ ever met with. Many caterpil-
larsvhich are armed with forceps will
pine and defend themselves when
SQUEEZED or injured, but this is the on
" Oh which will deliberately and vio-
lent, become the assailant of disturb
ing ifluence.
11growing and sowing parsnip seed,
| it INST be borne in mind that the seed
loseits vitality after the second year
of eping, and will be greatly injured
by leping over even to the second sea-
sonlet it be ever so carefully pre-
ser,d. The first season nearly, if not
quill, all the seeds vegetate; this will
accant to many for miss crop of
bouht seeds. Sow the seed the first
yeait is raised,. and nearly every seed
willrrow.-Cor. Canada Farmer.
A Supposed Dead Woman Comes to
| Life.
SOTH ATCHIsoN is shaken from tur-
ret t foundation stone. A sensation
has ocurred within its precincts that
bids iir to outrival even the startling
wondrs of sensational Kansas City,
and boone the usual nine days neigh
borhod talk. The heroine of the sem
satio, for the principal character is q