294 HARVESTING CARROTS. 



on the ground in two lines. Two women can top tlie roots, 

 i. e. cut the leaves otF them, as fast as this nimiber of men 

 can pull them ; and, leaving- the roots in a central row, they 

 throw the leaves into two lateral ones, as they })roceed. The 

 carts, the number of which, varying- according" to the dis- 

 tance from the heaps, must be such as will convey the roots 

 olf the land as fast as they are ready, following- close upon the 

 cutters ; a man and a boy will be able, under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances, to fill both roots and leaves into them as fast as 

 those already mentioned can prepare them ; and another man 

 and boy will be able to pile the roots up in the heaps, and 

 thatch and finish them off as they proceed. We mention all 

 these details, because it is all-important to the speed and 

 economy of the operation that the forces emj)loyed in the 

 different parts of it should be rightly proportioned to each 

 other. 



The leaves, if they be already withered, may either be left 

 on the ground and ploug-hed under, or, as on land already 

 rich enoug-h for grain crops, they may be carried away to 

 the fold-yard and trod down by the cattle. When they are 

 still green, they may be used as fodder. As long as leaves 

 are green, they remain useful in the growth of the plant. 

 The only reason wh}' we should harvest our carrot-crop be- 

 fore the roots have stopped growing, is their extreme sensi- 

 tiveness to frost. This is so great, that it is of the greatest 

 importance to secure, before night, all the roots pidled during 

 each day ; if they get frozen, though it be merely on the 

 surface, it will be almost impossible to preserve them through 

 the winter. 



We have but one more remark to make, and that is on 

 the fact that rottenness, when it is owing to any external 

 cause, always commences at any cut or bruised portion of 

 the surface. It thus becomes of importance that the surface 

 of the roots should be cut or abraded as little as possible. 

 The root-fibres should not be cut off at all, and the leaves 

 should be cut off so far from the crown of the root, as that 

 they may fall separated from one another. So far as our 

 experience has hitherto gone, if these points be carefully 

 attended to, and if such a plan of harvesting be adopted as 

 fulfils the three requisites of success before alluded to, there 

 is but little risk of the farmer losing much of his crop, by 

 heating- or putrefaction, before the spring. 



Agricultural Gazette, Oct. 17, 1846. 



