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UMBELLIFERjE. CXXXI. DAUCUS. 



warm climate, and are consequently of better growth in the 

 south of England and France, in proportion to their size in moist 

 climates, as Holland and Ireland, than the turnip. 



Manure, according to some, should not be given to carrots 

 the year they are sown, as it is alleged when the roots meet 

 with it they become forked and wormy. This, however, is only 

 applicable to cases in which recent unferrnented manure has been 

 given, or where other manure has not been properly broken in 

 pieces, and spread over the soil, or in the drills. The Suffolk 

 and Norfolk farmers, who are the best carrot growers, always use 

 dung ; a suitable proportion of well-rotted farm-yard dung heing 

 constantly turned into the soil at the last ploughing in March, 

 as it has been fully shown by various trials detailed in the 

 Annals of Agriculture, and other books on husbandry, that 

 though good crops of carrots may be occasionally grown without 

 the aid of manure, it is only by the liberal application of that 

 substance that the greatest produce possibly can be obtained, as 

 they are in general found to bear a relative proportion to the 

 quantity that may have been employed. Mr. Burrows prepares 

 the land with a good dressing of about 16 cart loads per acre of 

 rotten farm-yard manure, or cottagers' ashes, the load about 

 as much as three horses can draw. He usually sows wheat 

 stubbles after clover, ploughing the first time in autumn, and 

 once more in the early part of the month of February, if the 

 weather permits ; setting on the manure at the time of sowing, 

 which is about the last week in March, or sometimes as late as 

 the second week in April. In Suffolk, when carrots are intended 

 to be sown after peas, they usually plough the stubble as soon as 

 the harvest is over, in order that the land may clear itself of 

 weeds ; in December, it is laid up in small bulks to receive the 

 benefit of the frosts ; in February, it is harrowed down, and 

 manured at the rate of 15 loads per acre ; the manure ploughed 

 in to the depth of about 4 inches, and in the month of March 

 the land is double-furrowed, and the seed sown. By pursuing 

 this method, they say, the manure lies in the centre of the 

 soil, and not only affords nourishment and support to the carrot 

 in its perpendicular progress, but renders it easy to be turned 

 up by a single ploughing, and greatly promotes the growth of the 

 succeeding crop of barley. In Norfolk, it is the practice to sow 

 carrots after a crop of turnips. The manure, after being put on 

 the land in the beginning of March, is first ploughed in with a 

 common plough, and afterwards trench ploughed about 14 or 

 15 inches deep; it is then harrowed very fine, and the seed 

 sown about the beginning of March. 



The season for sowing the carrot, preferred by Mr. Burrows, is 

 the last week in March or first of April ; but he prefers the first 

 period, having generally found early crops the most productive. 



The usual preparation of the seed for sowing, is by mixing it 

 with earth or sand, to cause it to separate more freely ; but 

 Burrows adds water, turns over the mixture of seeds and moist 

 earth several times, and thus brings it to a point of vegetation 

 before he sows it. " Having then weighed the quantity of seed 

 to be sown, and collected sand or fine mould in the proportion of 

 2 bushels to an acre, I mix the seed with the sand or mould 

 8 or 10 pounds to every 2 bushels, and this is done about a 

 fortnight or 3 weeks before the time I intend sowing ; taking 

 care to have the heaps turned over every day, sprinkling the 

 outside of them with water each time of turning over, that 

 every part of the sand heaps may be equally moist, and that 

 vegetation may take place alike throughout. I have great ad- 

 vantage in preparing the seed so long beforehand ; it is by this 

 means in a state of forward vegetation, therefore lies but a short 

 time in the ground, and by quickly appearing above ground, is 

 more able to contend with those numerous tribes of weeds in 

 the soil, whose seeds are of quicker vegetation." Suppl. &c. 



The quantity of seed, when carrots are sown in rows, is 2 



pounds per acre, and for broad-cast sowing 5 pounds. Bur- 

 rows sows 10 pounds per acre in the broad-cast manner. 



The usual mode of sowing the carrot is broad-cast, but perhaps 

 the better mode would be to sow them in rows at 12 or 14 inches 

 asunder ; drawing the drills, and hoeing the intervals by any 

 suitable hoe. The most common practice, however, where car- 

 rots are best cultivated, is the hand or broad-cast method, the 

 seed being dispersed as evenly as possible over the land, after 

 the surface has been reduced to a very fine state of pulveri- 

 zation by harrowing, in order to provide a suitable bed for it 

 to vegetate in, being then covered in by means of a light 

 harrow. As the seed is not of a nature to be deposited with 

 much regularity by the drill, and as the young plants can be 

 easily set out to proper distances in the operation of hoeing, 

 this is probably the most appropriate method of putting such 

 sort of seed into the ground. And an additional proof of it 

 is indeed found in its being that which is almost universally 

 adopted in those districts where carrot-husbandry is practised 

 to the greatest extent. The dvill method, however, would save 

 much hand labour. The seed may either be deposited by the 

 drill-machine, or by furrows made with a hoe or other imple- 

 ments, burying the seed about an inch in depth, and harrowing 

 once. 



The after culture gian to the carrot consists entirely of hoeing 

 and weeding. In Suffolk they are hoed generally 3 times in the 

 season. The first time, as soon as the plants can be distin- 

 guished from the weeds, which sh.iuld be done with a 3-inch 

 hoe. It is an operation that requires to be performed with great 

 attention, as it is extremely difficult to distinguish the young 

 carrots from the weeds. The second hoeing should be given in 

 3 or 4 weeks afterwards, according to the forwardness of the 

 crop ; it may be performed with common hoes, care being taken 

 to set out the plants at proper distances. From 8 to 15 inches 

 each way is the common distance, at which they are allowed to 

 stand ; and it has been proved by experience, that carrots which 

 grow at such distances always prove a more abundant crop than 

 when the plants are allowed to stand closer together. The 

 third hoeing is commonly made about the middle or end of June, 

 and in this, besides destroying the weeds, another material cir- 

 cumstance to be attended to, is to set the carrots at proper dis- 

 tances, and also wherever any have been left double at the for- 

 mer hoeings, to take the worst of the two plants aw-ay. 



Carrots sown according to the plan of Burrows, are ready to 

 hoe within about 5 or 6 weeks. He hoes 3, and sometimes 4 

 times, or until the crop is perfectly clean. The first hoeing is' 

 with hoes 4 inches long, and 2-|- inches wide. The second hoe- 

 ing invariably takes place as soon as the first is completed, and 

 is performed with 6-inch hoes, by 2^ (nches wide. By this time 

 the plants are set ; the first time of hoeing nothing was cut but 

 the weeds. He leaves the plants 9 inches apart from each 

 other, sometimes they will be a foot or even farther asunder. 



Carrots are generally taken up in the last week of October. 

 The operation is performed by 3-pronged forks. " I take up 

 in autumn a sufficient quantity to have a store to last me out 

 any considerable frost or snow that may happen in the winter 

 months. The rest of the crop I leave in the ground, preferring 

 them fresh out of the earth for both horses and bullocks. The 

 carrots keep best in the ground, nor can the severest frosts do 

 them any material injury; the first week in March it is neces- 

 sary to have the remaining part of the crop taken up, and the 

 land cleared for barley ; the carrots can either be laid in a heap, 

 with a small quantity of straw covered over them, or they may 

 be laid into some empty outhouse or barn, in heaps of many 

 hundred bushels, provided they are put together dry. This 

 latter circumstance it is indispensable to attend to ; for if laid 

 together in large heaps when wet, they will certainly sustain 



