104 FRENCH MARKET-GARDENING 



Melons ; but then the Carrots will not mature quite so 

 quickly. 



During February and March, seeds of " Scarlet 

 Horn " or " Half-long Nantes Scarlet " Carrots may 

 be sown on open beds, without the protection of 

 lights. Straw mats will afford sufficient protection 

 from frost for these sowings. To keep the mats off 

 the Carrots, two rails are fixed on stakes driven into 

 the bed on each side. These Carrots succeed those 

 from the earlier sowings, and fill in the gap between 

 those sown in the open ground. 



After the Carrots sown in February and March 

 have been gathered, Radishes are sown on the same 

 beds ; and when the Radishes have been pulled, 

 their place may be taken with Celeriac (Turnip-rooted 

 Celery) or some other crop. 



THINNING CARROTS. It is essential to thin out 

 Carrots when they are 2 or 3 in. high, otherwise they 

 would choke each other in time. The weakest seedlings 

 are pulled up by hand, and about 3 in. of space 

 is left between the first crops in frames, and one or 

 two inches more between the out-door crops. 



CAULIFLOWERS 



The Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea Botrytis cauli- 

 flora) is an important and often a lucrative crop to 

 the intensive cultivator. Amongst the Cauliflowers 

 proper (as distinguished from the hardier white-headed 

 Broccoli) three sections are generally recognised, viz. 

 the tender, the half-hardy, and the hardy the varieties 

 of which follow each other in natural succession. 

 They may also be described as " early/' " second 



