The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-04-21
Field Root Crops,

GROWING THE PARsNIP.--The pars-
nip, though of an uninviting taste
to most children, is liked generally by
older persons, and is said to be a par
ticularly wholesome vegetable. Like
the carrot it requires rich, deep ground,
rich from previous years manuring.
Manure, especially if fresh, makes the
roots somewhat ill.shaped. As the
seed germinates slowly, it should be
sown very early in the spring, in drills
eighteen inches apart, and covering the
seed half an inch with the finest Of the
soil. The soil should be thoroughly
rolled after sowing; when well up thin
out to five or Elk inches apart in the
rows. The part of the crop required
for spring use can remain in the ground
during the winter. A few can be
stored in the cellar, covered with sand.
For feeding cattle, it is very desirable;
and as it does we'll all winter standing
in the ground where it grew, it might
be made use of az an early spring root
for cattle.
MANGLE WURznLs.-When it is con-
sidered how ravenously cattle devour
turnips, mangels, carrots, and other
root crops, the wonder is that the Eu-
roIeAn plan of making roots promi-
nent feature in farm crops is not adopt
ed here. Mangles, for instance, are of
easy culture. Everyone who has grown
garden beets could similarly grow man.
giles. To store these roots for winter,
Joseph Harris says the best way is in
heaps out of doors as some do potatoes.
He says:
81 select, if possible, dry sandy
knoll, plow out pit three or four feet
wide, and as long as you wish. Twist
or cut off the leaves from the mangles,
not to close, and put the roots in the
pit, packing them or 'cording' them so
as to make the roof steep enough to
shed rain. If you will scatter guam
tity of dry, light soil in among the
beats in tine pit, say enough tofill up the
space between the beets, you will
find that the beats do not get
warm in the pit, and will come out
fresh and nice in the spring. DO not
be afraid to throw in dozen good
shovelfuls of soil to each cart load of
beets. And before putting OH coat
of straw l throw ON layer of sandy
soil all over the heap of beets an inch
or two thick. Put on layer of straw
about six inches thick, and then six
inches of dirt, and this is all that is nee
essary till very cold weather, when l
put on another layer of straw or horse
litter and cover it with dirt. In cover
ing the heaps with dirt, we plow around
and round the heap with plow throw
ing the dirt toward the heap. This
greately lessons the labor
TIE JERUSALEM ARTIoHoKE.--The
subject of varying the assortment of
food for cattle in the winter is likely to
become of more Importance every year.
The dairying interests demands this
AS growers look about them for addi-
tional root crops it may be that the
Jerusalem artichoke will not be over
looked AS vegetable it has been
long esteemed by Europeans. In our
Southern States it would prove val
liable root for farmers. In the South
three bushels of tubers are amply suf
ficent to plant an acre, the large ones
being cut into pieces with two or three
eyes like potatoes. The land should be
thoroughly plowed, and from January
to April they should be planted in fur
rows about eighteen inches apart, and
covering with plow.
When they were well up, plow them
as you would corn; and when about a
foot high, plow them again throwing a
furrow to each side, and you are done
cultivsting them forever. The first year
they will yield good crop, (from five
to eight hundred bushels), and will
improve for two or three years, if the
soil is good, till they double the
product of the first year On piney-
woods land 1900 to 2000 bushels, it is
said, have been produced. In August
the tops may be cut ard cured for hay,
which is quite equal to corn fodder, or
may be fed green, soiled. The yield is
large, and the tops are eagerly eaten
by cattle, horses and mules. The tops
if cut, should be taken off about a
foot from the ground One cutting
does not at all effect the yield OF
tubers. In November the hogs should
be turned in TO harvest the tubers for
themselves, and may remain on them
till March. In cOrbonaceous matter
starch or its equivalent-they are but q
trihe inferior to potatoes.