4^4 On the Culture, of Carrols. 



subdivided: 1. Horses; 2. Fatting beasts ; 3. Cows; 4. Sheep; 

 5. Swine. 



§ 1. — Horses. 



In the carrot district of Suffolk, that root had formed the chief 

 winter support of horses, far beyond the memory of the oldest 

 men there Hving fifty years ago ; and the writer of these sheets 

 puhhshed the practice of many individuals above forty years since. 

 At that time the district was of small extent in the vicinity of the 

 sea, and the farmers sent a portion of their crops to the London 

 market ; a circumstance which, by some writers, was urged against 

 extending the culture where this advantage could not be com- 

 manded. Fortunately the objection has been completely an- 

 swered by the practice extending in every direction where the 

 proper soil was foitnd, with a view to horses alone ; and in my 

 agricultural journeys through the kingdom, I registered the ex- 

 periments of many individuals who found carrots as profitable to 

 them, as rhey had so long proved to Suffolk farmers. 



In 1763, Mr, Billing, of VVeasenham, in Norfolk, fed sixteen 

 or eighteen horses on this root, to the entire saving of both oats 

 and hav, except when the teams were employed in carrying out 

 corn fifteen miles, or their work greatly increased by barley- 

 sowing ; on which occasions they had some oats in addition : 

 two cart-loads saved him one load of hay; taking the load of 

 carrots at forty bushels, and the load of hay at a ton, at 3/., the 

 carrots paid him 9c?. per bushel. 



In 1765, Mr. Hewitt, of Yorkshire, fed his horses on them 

 with great success, working as usual, but without oats, and look- 

 ing equally well. Mr. Cook, of the same county, found them of 

 excellent use, and thev saved his horses from a prevalent distem- 

 per. Mr. Fellowes, of Norfolk, from 1765 to 1770, fed his 

 horses to his entire satisfaction. At Woodbridge, in 1770, they 

 gave a bushel per day without corn. Mr. Acton, of Suffolk, 

 also used them without corn, and they never did better. Mr. 

 Lcgrand, of Kent, gave a ton per week to four horses, and found 

 they did to admiration ; this is about 1^ bushel per diem. In 

 Scotland they were found an excellent substitute for oats. In 

 tiie register of several examinations which I took of the carrot 

 fanners in Suffolk in 1784, &c., I found the average consumption 

 to be 13 bushels a week, saving all the oats, and in some cases 

 all the hay; in other cases half the hay; also that one bushel 

 per diem saved the oats ; this is the practice of many common 

 fanners. One case occurs, in which a bushel per diem, cut 

 small into chaff, saved -Ijoth oats and hay. A variety of other 

 instances are hefore me, which speak the same language; but 

 I pass on to a late authority, occurring after many years, that 

 of Mr. Burrows, of Norfolk, who during six years, ending with 



1810, 



