158 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



at maturity, and the exterior ones being longer, the fruit-umbel 

 generally presents the appearance of a bird's nest. Cremocarp 

 -}t inch long, dark-brown when ripe, the secondary ridges furnished 

 with subulate spreading spines, with 1 or 2 small hooks at the apex. 

 Plant light-green, more or less hispid. 



Var. 3 in its extreme form looks very distinct from the ordinary 

 inland wild Carrot, having the leaves much more fleshy, broader, 

 usually less deeply divided. The stems are much shorter in propor- 

 tion to their stoutness, the branches more spreading ; the stem is 

 also more hispid, with the hairs pointing backwards ; the divisions 

 of the involucre are broader and more reflexed after flowering, the 

 leaves of the involucels much broader and less scarious ; the umbel 

 is rarely concave in fruit ; the petals are frequently green or pink and 

 ciliated ; the cremocarp has the spines less spreading, broader and 

 united at the base. These diflerences, however, though they apply 

 to the Cornish and Devon plants, do not to those of the Kentish 

 coast, which are quite intermediate between the Cornish and the 

 inland forms, passing insensibly into the latter, and yet approaching 

 too closely to var. a to be separated from it. Mr. H. C. Watson sowed 

 the seed of the Channel Island maritime form, which resembles 

 that from Cornwall, and the plant which resulted was even in the 

 first generation undistinguishable from the common wild Carrot. 



TFlld Carrot. 



French, Carotle Commune. German, Gemeine M'uhre. 



The specific name of this well-known vegetable seems to have reference to the 

 colour of its root, and to have its origin in the Celtic word car, which means red. 

 From the wild and apjjarently worthless inhabitant of our sea-side is produced by 

 cultivation the excellent vegetable so well known in our gardens and upon our tables. 

 The Parsnip and the Carrot are perhaps as striking examples as can be found of the 

 effects of cultivation on wild plants. The root of the wild variety is small and woody 

 in texture, while that of the cultivated kind is fleshy and succulent, and grows to an 

 immense size. It is probable that some accidental variety, with a larger and softer 

 root than ordinaiy, was transplanted to the garden, and its descendants by long 

 cultivation in rich soil, eventually attained their present excellence. The Carrot is 

 minutely described by Dioscorides, and noticed by him as being cultivated in gardens 

 for its esculent root. From his time to the })resent, it seems to have been in constant 

 use by various nations. In England it was first generally cultivated in the reign of 

 Queen Elizabeth, and was iuti'oduced by the Flemings, who finding the soil about 

 Sandwich, in Kent, peculiarly favourable for it, grew it there largely, and as vegetables 

 were at that time rather scarce in England, the Carrot was warmly welcomed and 

 became a general favourite. 



Carrots contain a large amount of water, and their most distinguishing dietetical 

 substance is sugar, of which they i)ossess nearly GJ per cent. Starch in small quan- 

 tities is also found, with a ^mall i)ortion of albumen. They are a valuable product 

 tor l,he_ farmer in feeding his cattle, and fur this purpose are raised in large quantities 

 although the small pro^jortion of nitrogenous jirinciple in the chemical comi)ositiou of 



