THE HOME, FARM AND^BUSINESS CYCLOPEDIA. 



gel crop may be grown successfully from transplanted plants, showery 

 ithcr being chosen for the operation. Care should be taken not to double 

 up the tap root when planting it, nor to dibble the young plant in too 

 deeply. 



Under ordinary circumstances the crop will be ready to harvest by the 

 first of October. The work should be done in dry weather ; the roots are 

 pulled up by the hand, and the tops may be either twisted off by the hand 

 or removed by a knife. In doing this great care should be taken not to 

 wound the crown of the root. During fine weather the roots are benefited 

 by lying exposed several days before being stored. The chief danger is 

 frost. Denuded of the protecting covering of their leaves, they are greatly 

 injured if exposed to a sharp frost, even for a single night. None of the 

 rootlets should be removed from the bulbs until they are required for use. 

 On sound land they may be stored in small heaps in the field ; on strong 

 land they are generally hauled off whilst the land is dry, and stored in 

 cellars. 



CARROTS. These can be grown successfully only on deep, well-drained 

 sandy loams. Deep cultivation is an essential point. The land should 

 have a dressing of 12 to 16 tons of well-rotted farmyard manure ap- 

 plied in the autumn. The soil should be deeply and thoroughly stir- 

 red, the manure spread and covered in with a shallow furrow, and left in 

 such a state as to require little labour at spring. The seed should be 

 sown not later than the first week in May ; the necessary quantity of 

 seed is 3 Ibs. per acre. They are sown on the flat and ridge, in rows 16 

 to 20 inches apart. We (O. E. Farm) use from 400 to 500 of a similar 

 mixture of artificial manures to that applied to the turnip and mangel 

 crop. The hairy covering of the seeds causes them to adhere, hence the 

 practical utility of mndng with dry sand before sowing. This operation 

 is performed by mixing a quantity of clean sand and seed together, rub- 

 bing the mixture well between the hands ; it is then moistened with 

 water and spread out on a floor, where it is turned over daily and watered 

 when necessary. It may remain in this state for a week or ten days, or 

 until it is on the point of germinating, when it should at once be sown. 

 The chief object is to enable the young plants to get the start of the weeds, 

 which, under ordinary circumstances, often smother the tender plants. 



It is essential that the soil be deep and thoroughly pulverised. The 

 slightest obstruction causes the plant to throw out lateral shoots or forks, 

 which greatly detract from the quality of the crop. The plants when 

 thinned should be set out from 4 to 8 inches in the rows, according to the 



