674 



CARPINUS 



CARROT 



Winkl. ) Shrubby tree: Ivs. ovate, acute, 1-2 in. long, with 10-12 pairs 

 of veins. N. China. C. virginidna, Michx. f.=C. caroliniana. C. 

 yedoensis, Maxim. Small tree: branchlets and Ivs. beneath pubes- 

 cent: Ivs. ovate-elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, with about 12 pairs of 

 veins. 2-3 in. long. Japan. S.I.F. 2:11. ALFRED REHDER. 



CARRIEREA (after E. A. Carriere, prominent 

 French horticulturist and botanist, died 1896). Fla- 

 courtidcese. Ornamental tree chiefly cultivated for its 

 handsome bright green foliage. 



Deciduous: Ivs. alternate, long-petioled, serrate: 

 fls. dioecious; sepals 5, broadly ovate, pubescent out- 

 side; petals wanting; stamens numerous, shorter than 

 the sepals; ovary 1 -celled with numerous ovules, rudi- 

 mentary in the staminate fls.; styles 3-4, 3-lobed, short 

 and spreading: fr. a dehiscent caps.; seeds winged. 

 One species, or possibly two, in Cent. China. 



This is a medium-sized tree very much resembling 

 Idesia in appearance, the apetalous flowers with large 

 white sepals in terminal corymbs or short racemes, the 

 staminate usually many-flowered, the pistillate few- 

 flowered, rarely solitary, and with large capsular long- 

 pointed fruits. It has proved fairly hardy at the Arnold 

 Arboretum. Propagated by seeds; can probably also be 

 propagated like Idesia by greenwood and root-cuttings. 



calycina, Franch. Tree, to 30 ft., with a wide-spread- 

 ing flat head: Ivs. elliptic or ovate to oblong-obovate, 

 3-6 in. long, short-acuminate, rounded at the base, 



821. Last year's umbel of wild carrot. 



lustrous on both surfaces, glabrous, crenately-serrate: 

 sepals broadly cordate-ovate about %in. long and 

 nearly as broad, white: caps. 2-2}^ in. long, pubescent. 

 Cent. China. R.H. 1896, p. 498. ALFRED REHDER. 



CARROT (Daucus Cardta, Linn.). Umbelliferse. 

 Garden vegetable, grown for its elongated subterranean 

 crown-tuber. 



The carrot is native of Europe and Asia, and one of 

 the bad introduced weeds of eastern North America 

 (Fig. 821). The improved succulent-rooted garden 

 varieties are thought to be descended from the same 

 stock, though this has been denied. It seems probable 

 that the horticultural improvement of the species was 

 begun in Holland, and it is said that the cultivated 

 forms were introduced thence into the gardens of Eng- 

 land during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The carrot 

 is now very generally, though not extensively, cultiva- 

 ted everywhere, both for culinary purposes and for 

 stock-feeding. It is sometimes forced under glass, but 

 to no great extent. Carrots are most useful in culinary 

 practice for soups, stews, and salads, and as this class 

 of cookery has never been reasonably popular in Amer- 

 ica, this vegetable has not received the attention it 

 deserves. 



The carrot is hardy and may be planted as soon as 

 the ground is in fit condition to be properly prepared 

 for seeding. When grown as a market-garden or truck 



crop, this early seeding is essential to maximum re- 

 turns. The best soil for carrots is a medium to light 

 loam, rich, friable and comparatively free from weeds. 

 As the seed is slow to germinate, it is a good plan to 

 sow some quick-germinating seed with the carrot seed 

 so that the rows may be noticed in time to keep them 

 ahead of weed growth. Lettuce serves well for this 

 purpose. When the carrots are thinned, this lettuce is 

 pulled out. The carrot seed is best sown in rows 12 to 

 15 inches apart, using enough seed to produce a plant 

 every inch or two along the row. When the carrots are 

 3 to 5 inches high, they should be thinned to stand 3 

 inches apart in the row. The only further culture 

 necessary is frequent tillage to conserve soil-in ois- 

 and to prevent weed growth. The early crop should 

 be ready to pull and bunch for sale seventy-five 

 days after sowing. Early carrots are an important 

 crop on the market-garden and truck-farm. They are 

 pulled as soon as they have attained sufficient size and 

 tied into bunches of three, six or seven roots, according 

 to the size of the roots and the market demands. The 

 earlier the crop and the more active the demand, the 

 smaller the roots which may be salable. A later sow- 

 ing is made for the main or winter crop or for live- 

 stock. This may be from four to six weeks after the 

 first sowing. The crop is handled in the same manner 

 as the early crop except that it is allowed to continue 

 growth as long as the weather is suitable. It is then 

 pulled, the tops cut from the roots and the roots placed 

 in frost-proof storage for winter sale. 



The expense of production of carrots is consider- 

 able, but the returns are usually satisfactory. The 

 fall crop should yield 500 to 1,000 bushels to the 

 acre. Truck-growers of the South ship many bunched 

 carrots to the large northern markets in March, 

 April and May, where they meet a ready demand 

 at prices ranging from 35 cents to $1 per dozen 

 bunches. 



There are several distinct market types of carrots, 

 the variation being chiefly with respect to size and 

 shape. The smaller varieties, as they mature more 

 quickly, are used to some extent for the early bunching, 

 while the larger kinds are always more popular in the 

 general market. 



The varieties of carrots differ chiefly in respect to 

 size and grain, with differences in earliness closely cor- 

 related. The following are now favorite varieties: 



French Forcing (Earliest Short Horn). One of the 

 smallest and earliest; root small, almost globular, 

 orange-red. 



Oxheart or Guerande. Small to medium in size; root 

 2 to 4 inches long, growing to a blunt point, of good 

 quality and popular in some sections for an early bunch 

 carrot. 



Chantenay. Large to medium in size; root 3 to 5 

 inches long, more tapering than Oxheart; of good 

 quality and a better carrot for the bunched crop than 

 the above. 



Danvers Half-Long. Six to 8 inches long, 2 to 3 inches 

 in diameter, at top tapering to a blunt point; the most 

 popular garden carrot grown. 



True Danvers. A long carrot, 8 to 12 inches; tapering 

 to a slender point like a parsnip; grown more for 

 live-stock or exhibition purposes. The Half-Long has 

 largely displaced it as a market sort chiefly because 

 of the greater ease with which the latter strain is 

 harvested. 



Half-Long Scarlet. Top small, roots medium size, 

 cylindrical, pointed; much used for bunching. 



Early Scarlet Horn. Top small, roots half-long, 

 somewhat oval, smooth, fine grain and flavor; a 

 favorite garden sort. 



Large White Belgian. Of much larger size than the 

 above-named varieties, of less delicate flavor and 

 coarser texture; a popular variety for live-stock. 



