HARVESTING CARROTS. 



293 



seed-bed for turnips ; it harvests early (mine tliis year were 

 cut early in July) and admirably, and, at little cost, enables 

 the g-roimd to be prepared for wheat, and, when well sown, 

 that is to say, drilled wide and kept perfectly clean by the 

 frequent use of the scarifier and hand-hoe, admits of foul 

 land being- cleaned at little cost, and without the loss of a 

 crop of corn. I have finer crops of turni])s upon 25 acres 

 that were sown among* my beans, at a cost of only 7s. or 8.?. 

 an acre, than are generally to be seen this j-ear with high 

 manuring- and a fallow, t shall this week put nearly 600 

 sheep on them, and they will last them nearly two mouths ; 

 and yet, after crops giving 4 to 5 quarters of beans per acre, 

 or more — and one of the fields was a piece of old sainfoin, 

 that had lain as waste for many years, full of weeds, and 

 in every respect appeared unsuited for the growth of corn ; 

 this piece, which lies on the Haling- farm, adjoining- Croydon, 

 was broken up last September, and sown with beans in 

 October, is now covered with a good crop of turnips, and 

 will be sown with wheat this autumn. This bean, for its 

 early flowering- and setting-, appears never to suffer from the 

 dolphin, or, indeed, from spring drought, of which the crop 

 this year is a remarkable instance. They have proved fine 

 crops without excejition, yet generally spring- beans have 

 been almost a total failure. 



Agricultural Gazette, Sept. 12, 1846. 



Art. LXVI.— harvesting CARROTS. 



By the Editor of the " Agricultural Gazette." 



The harvesting- of root-crops is best done by piece-AVork. 

 The harvesting- of a good crop of carrots has hitherto cost us 

 fi'om 17s. to 25,9. ])er acre — that of Swedes and mangel- 

 ■vvurzel, from Qs. to lO.s. For this sum, the contractor pulls 

 the roots, cuts oft' the leaves, fills the roots into carts, and 

 g-athers and loads the leaves also. 



In the operation of harvesting- carrots, the spade is re- 

 quired ; it is pressed into the ground, and used as a lever 

 by the right hand, while, by the left, the root is pulled up. 

 Each man lifts two rows as he })rocecds, and four men form- 

 ing- a company, eight rows are thus pulled and laid regularly 



