228 AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 



497. The best manures, are rich dung, guano, bones in some 

 form, wood ashes, plaster, and common salt. The inorganic 

 compound should be drilled in with the seed. 



498. THE CARROT like the parsnip belongs to tbe botan 

 ical order of Umbellifercc, the Hemlock or Parsley family, some 

 of the species of which are mutritive, and many of them poison 

 ous. The wild carrot is a common weed in Europe, and i 

 wholly useless, having a hard, slender, fusiform root. Mr. Low 

 is inclined to think that our exlible variety has been derived 

 from warmer countries, and not from the wild plant of northern 

 Europe, which no modern cultivation has been able to change. 

 It was known to the Romans, and is described by Pliny. It 

 was introduced into England, as a field crop, by Flemish refu 

 gees, towards the end of the 16th century. The varieties are 

 very numerous, being divided into (a,) field, (b,) garden, (c,) 

 red, (dj) white, &c., while the root varies in shape from fusiform 

 to napiform. The most esteemed for field culture are the (e^) 

 White Belgian, (f,) Altringham, (g,) orange, and (kj) long red 

 carrot 



499. The culture of this root for the feeding of stock ha 

 rapidly increased both in America and Europe, during late 

 years: still, with us, it is rare&amp;gt; and grown in small quantities. 

 It requires a peculiar soil, and careful cultivation, and in its early 

 stages is difficult to attend to. At the same time, it is nutritive, 

 and when every thing is suited to it, very heavy crops may be 

 grown. 



Analysis apyears to indicate that 350 to 400 parts of carrots are re 

 quired to replace 100 parts of good meadow h ay in feeding horses ; and 

 this root is much inferior to the equivalent of potatoes, in practice. 

 (Boussinaanlt.) Thaer says that a working horse may be kept in con 

 dition on 70 or 80 Ibs. of carrots, and 8 Ibs. of hay daily. 



500. No ultimate analysis appears to have been made. The 

 organic matter, ash, and nitrogen have been found to vary a 

 follows, calculated dry. 



