Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 203, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 August 1910 — Some Parsnips. [ARTICLE]

Some Parsnips.

In a railway carriage the other day the conversation turned upon gardening. “I guess,” said the American, “none of you ever saw such parsnips as I grew out in the states last year; why, I had to hire a steam derrick to get them out of the ground.” “Talking about parsnips,” said Perkins, meekly, “reminds me of some I once grew in Lancashire to try the effect of a patent fertilizer my brother had invented. The result was astonishing. Those parsnips for size easily beat all records, and just how far the roots penetrated into the earth we could not guess at. But to our disappoiiitment the plants suddenly sickened and died.” “I guess that was a tarnation pity," said the American, sarcastically. “What was the matter with ’em? Outgrew their strength, I suppose.” “Well,” said Perkins, calmly, “we found out afterward it was because the ends of the roots had been eaten off by rabbits in Australia.”—ldeas..