56 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



for seed, and thus the only cost of effectually clearing the ground 

 of wire-worm will be the labour it entails, and that will be paid for 

 in the necessary knocking about the soil will obtain. 



The Selection of Sohts will never occasion perplexity. The- 

 finest of all is the Long Red, or Surrey Bed, which requires a warm, 

 deep, sandy soil, to grow it to perfection of form and colour. A more 

 profitable variety is the Altringham, which always grows out, and 

 has a green top. This is a coarse but useful root. The White 

 Belgian, which is much valued for cattle food, makes a nice table 

 vegetable; but is neither so sweet nor so handsome as the long 

 yellow. It is, however, well adapted for newly-broken grass-land, 

 because if riddled by wire-worm, the horses make no objection, as 

 they are not so fastidious as we are about the appearance of food. 

 The best sorts for shallow soils are the Scarlet Intermediate and the 

 Common Short Horn. Tor Ibrcing, the little French Horn is alone 

 suitable. 



The ashes of the carrot-root contain 32 per cent, of potash, 

 13 per cent, of soda, 9 per cent, of lime, and 8| per cent, of phos- 

 phoric acid. Were it not for its deep rooting, it would evidently 

 be an exhaustive crop ; but as remarked above, the root searches in 

 a district beyond the ordinary reach of plough or spade. With the- 

 small fancy kinds, however, the case is dilierent; and hence, as they 

 make all their growth near the surface, they require nourishing 

 soil of a very mellow texture. 



S. H. 



THE GAEDEN GUIDE FOR FEBRUAEY. 



" Then came cold February, sitting 

 In an old wagon, for he could not ride, 

 Drawne of two Fishes for the season fitting, 

 Which through the flood before did softly sljde 

 And swim away ; yet had he by his side 

 His plough and harnesse fit to till the ground, 

 And tooles to prune the trees, before the pride 

 Of hasting Prime did make them burgein round. 

 So past the Twelve Months forth, and their dew places found." 



Spknsee, 



EBRUARY is usually the driest month of the year, and, 

 in a marked degree, less cold than January, In London, 

 the average mean temperature is 38^, the range of the 

 thermometer being from 21'^ to 53*^. The mean of the 

 barometer is 29'94 ; the mean rainfall is 0"74, or three- 

 quarters of an inch. The prevailing winds are S.W., W., and N.W. 

 The weather is usually very variable, bright, promising spring days 

 being suddenly succeeded by scowling, tempestuous weather, or a 

 damp, warm atmosphere, changing quickly to keen dry frost, and a 

 movement of the wind towards N.E. The past two months having 

 been unusually dry, the coming month is likely to be characterized 

 by a rainfall above the average. Severe frost is not to be appre- 

 hended, but we may have long periods of cold, comfortless weather 



