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 THE CARROT. 633 



ridges, and after the whole mass of the ridges has been cooled down 

 to 32 by frost, it may then be thickly covered with litter, to exclude 

 the heating influence of the sun. As the turnip vegetates at a much 

 lower temperature than the potato, much greater care is required to 

 keep it in a dormant state. 



To Save Seed. One kind only can be saved in one garden in the 

 same year. It is so cheap that it is not worth while, unless in cases 

 of scarce or highly-valued varieties. In such cases the best-formed 

 roots, and those which have come earliest or latest to maturity ac- 

 cording to the variety, should be selected and transplanted in autumn, 

 or early in spring, into a spot by themselves, and the stems tied to 

 stakes, if there should be any danger apprehended from high winds. 

 The seed will keep four or five years, but should be aerated once 

 every winter, during severe frost. 



Diseases, Insects, &c. The turnip in very dry seasons is liable to 

 the mildew, if it has not been liberally supplied with water ; and also 

 to excrescences on the root, produced by a species of cynips which 

 deposits its eggs there. Lime, soap-boilers' waste, putrid urine, or 

 the urine of cows, are said to render the soil offensive to the parent- 

 fly ; and when its attacks can be foreseen, this mode may be adopted, 

 more especially as, if it fails, it will at all events manure the soil. 

 On coming through the ground, the plants are liable to the attacks of 

 a small jumping-beetle, called the turnip-flea (Haltica nemorum), 

 besides five or six other insects of different kinds, the effects of which 

 are very serious in field-culture ; but in gardens they can generally 

 be guarded against, or counteracted by watering, or by digging down 

 and re- so wing. Dry soot or ashes is a good remedy for the fly ; but 

 the likeliest way to secure the safety of the crop is to sow on good 

 soil, and hurry it through the first stages of growth. 



Forcing the turnip for the root is seldom attempted in British gar- 

 dens, though in Kussia and some parts of Germany it is sown on hot- 

 beds, as radishes are in England. The large white turnip-radish is 

 sometimes used as a substitute for early turnips in England. The 

 roots, more especially those of the Swedish turnip, placed close 

 together on heat in January, will produce an abundance of delicate 

 sprouts through February and March. 



The Carrot. 



The Carrot (Daucus Carota, L.) is an umbelliferous biennial, com- 

 mon in Britain and other parts of Europe, of no use in cookery in a 

 wild state, but by culture rendered succulent, agreeable, and when 

 young highly nutritive. It is excellent in a mature state as a dish, 

 or in stews ; and no vegetable is so much in demand for soups. For 

 the latter purpose, it is required in some families throughout the year, 

 several crops being forced, and the supply from May to October being 

 furnished from the open garden. A considerable breadth is therefore 

 required for this crop, which in the rotation may follow some of the 

 cabbage tribe, or some crop that has been manured ; for any manure, 



