Cultivation of Arable, Land. Carrots Preparation of Land for. ] 97 



fsind has been previoufly in a flateof tillage ; but more may in other cafes be ne- 

 cefTary.The firft ploughing fliould be made to the depth of ten, twelve, or fourteen 

 inches, and be performed when the foil is tolerably dry, about the beginning of Oc 

 tober. It may remain in this condition till towards the middle of February, when 

 it fliould be turned over a fecond time, but in a crofs direction, to nearly the fame 

 depths. In March a third ploughing may be given, in order to the putting in of the 

 feed. This maybe fomewhat lighter than the preceding ones. By the two deep 

 ploughings being thus given in the autumn and winter months, the ground be 

 comes more open and porous, from being fo much expofed to the action of the 

 frofts and other caufcs, than could otherwife have been the cafe. At the lad: plough-, 

 ing in March a fuitable proportion of well-rotted farm yard du/gg fliould conftant- 

 ly be turned into the foil ; the furface of the ground being immediately afterwards 

 well reduced and rendered as level as poflible by harrowing. The land is now 

 ready for the reception of the feed. It has been fully Ihewn, by various trials 

 detailed in the Annals of Agriculture and other books on hufbandry, that, though 

 good crops of carrots may be occafionally grown without the ufe of manure, it is 

 only by the liberal application of that fubftance that the greateft produce poflible 

 can be obtained, as they are in general found to bear a relative proportion to the 

 quantity that may have been employed. In Suffolk, where the carrot hufbandiy 

 is practifed to the greateft extent, it is however the common method to give no 

 tillage to the land till the time of putting in the crop. 



Seed. The cultivator of carrot crops fhould always be careful in faving his 

 own feed, by felecting annually fome of the moft perfect and befl-fhaped roots 

 of the preceding year s growth, to be fet out feparately about the beginning or 

 middle of March, in an open piece of ground, for the purpofe. The feed will 

 be ready about Augufl. By this means the agricultor will always be in pofTef- 

 fion of fuch new or frefh feed as may be depended upon, which is feldom the- 

 cafe when purchafed ; old and imperfectly ripened feed being frequently blend 

 ed with the new, by which the crops often either wholly fail, or come up in a 

 very imperfect and unequal manner. Befides, feed of the pale yellow kind, or 

 what is termed the born carrot, a fort often cultivated in the Low-countries and in 

 France, but which, as has been obferved, does not grow to any thing near the fize 

 of the deep orange kind, is often difpofed of to the cultivators of this vegetable. 



From the lightnefs of this kind of feed, and its adhering foclofely together, 

 other fubftances have been found neceflary to be mixed or blended with it, in or 

 der that the feeds may be feparated, and fown or difperfed over the ground with 

 more regularity. Saw-duft, bran, aflies, dry earth, and dry fand, have been occa- 



