The Greeks held the plant in great respect. A crown made of dried and withered leaves was given to the victors in their games. A crown together with a bunch of laurel was dedicated to the god of banquets while all the guests at these feasts wore crowns of parsley under the impression that the herb created quiet and promoted appetite. The Romans also decked themselves in like manner upon similar occasions because they believed that the plant had the power to absorb the fumes of wine and thus prevent drunkenness.
It was parsley that Hercules selected for the making of his first garland of victory. Greek gardens were bordered with parsley and rue, giving rise to the saying, "Oh, we are only at the parsley and rue." As these ancients used the plant in their rejoicing and merrymaking, so, too, it was brought into use in their funeral decorations. Sprigs of the herb were strewn over their dead. According to old folk lore parsley should be sown on Good Friday.
Parsley is a biennial plant, making a fine clump of edible leaves the first year which in mild winters or protected positions survives the winter and starts into growth the following spring. It soon, however, runs to seed and is of no further value except to produce seed. If, however, one wants a small supply of parsley without the annual trouble of sowing and transplanting a small bed of it may be allowed to go to seed and self-sow, when it becomes, practically, a perennial but does not attain the fine quality that the specially grown plant does. A single row through the garden will furnish parsley for an entire neighborhood as the older leaves are gathered as needed and the crown allowed to produce new leaves; this should be done whether the leaves are needed or not as the quality of the new growth will be finer in every way, for leaving the old leaves to mature checks the growth of the crown leaves. Nine inches at least should be allowed between the plants and twelve is better, though when the tiny plants are first transplanted it may seem a long and lonely distance between them, but the plants soon fill up the space.
Very little cultivation is needed between the plants when once they attain full size; the plants are so dense and spreading that they effectually choke out the younger weed growth, but the space between rows should be kept clean.
Of the varieties to plant, only the fine moss curled should be selected. The Champion Moss Curled is a standard sort and one of the best, rich green in color and so crumpled and curled as to have the appearance of moss. Nearly all florists or seedsmen have their own especial brand of seed and one can select those which promise the best product. If desired bunches of the parsley may be lifted in the fall and potted or planted in window-boxes for winter use. They make a most attractive plant for the window and a pot of parsley, one of well-blanched endive and one of red celestial peppers make a most cheerful window decoration for the kitchen or dining-room, as well as furnishing crisp decorative material for the table.
PARSNIPS
May be classed among the early spring vegetables as they are planted as early as the ground can be worked in spring and are likewise ready for use as soon as the frost is out of the ground so that they may be dug; like all root vegetables they require rich, deeply dug or ploughed land. Not less than twelve inches in depth is required for successful cultivation; with shallow cultivation crooked and many branched roots are produced which are unsalable and of little value for home consumption. The long, smooth, beautifully white roots—two inches or more at the crown, are only produced in well-prepared soil.
Parsnips are planted directly in the open ground as soon as the ground can be worked in spring, sowing the seed in drills an inch and a quarter deep, covering and tramping down the rows if the weather is dry. They should be thinned to stand from four to six inches apart in the row that the roots may make perfect development. The rows should be eighteen inches apart and the ground kept loose and clean throughout the growing season.