CHAPTER XII 

 ROOTS, TUBERS, BULBS 



Soils and Preparation. — In a general way all root crops 

 do best in soil which is not too heavy. A loam soil with a 

 good proportion of fine sand in it seems to be best, for such 

 a soil permits the roots to develop smooth and uniform. The 

 plowing for root crops should be deep, for all the true root 

 crops have long tap roots which strike deeply into the soil, and 

 if the soil is loose deep down they have an opportunity to 

 grow large and well formed. After plowing the seed-bed 

 should be made as fine as possible. The seeds of most of the 

 true root crops are quite small and need a fine, mellow seed- 

 bed or they will not germinate well. If the land is plowed 

 early in spring and then harrowed several times until the time 

 of planting, the weeds will be pretty well killed out. One 

 should not try to raise root crops on weedy land. 



Carrots. — The carrot is the best root for feeding to horses. 

 It is also used for human food. Carrots require rich, mellow 

 soil, free from weeds. The young carrot plants are quite 

 small and delicate and weeds easily choke them out. The 

 seed is sown in drills eighteen to twenty-four inches apart, 

 from the middle of May to the middle of June, at the rate 

 of one and a half to two pounds of seed per acre. Owing to 

 the small size of the plants some hand work will be necessary 



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