SECT. XV. OP ESCULENTS. 227 



a covering, and the plants will run to top, and not 

 bottom well. 



Thin the plants soon to an inch asunder, and in a 

 little time again to three inches, in order to grow to 

 a small size for use ; and if not so waited, at any 

 rate draw some equally, that those which remain 

 may swell properly : Carrots should have a great 

 share of air if covered with glass. 



The principal crop of carrots should be sown. 

 early in the month of March, or before the end of 

 it, and be soon hoed, or thinned by hand, to a small 

 distance, and a while after to a greater; so that 

 together with hoeing and drawing for use, they should 

 at last stand at from eight to ten inches distance, ac- 

 cording to the soil. This may seem too much, but 

 certainly carrots have, in common, too little room 

 allowed them for attaining their proper size. Let 

 the first hoe be of the breadth of three inches, and 

 the second of six. No consideration should prevail 

 to let carrots stand too long before they are properly 

 thinned. 



A few late carrots may be sown in April and 

 May, to draw young in the summer ; and some in 

 August, to stand the winter, for early spring use ; 

 but carrots that stand the winter grow hard, and are 

 of very little worth, except to flavour soups. 



In autumn, let carrots be taken up as soon as their 

 leaves begin to change ; for when they continue too 

 long in the ground, they are apt to get worm-eaten, 

 especially in rich soils. Cut the tops off at an inch, 

 arid lay them up dry and free from mould, in dry 

 sand, a layer of sand, and a layer of carrots. All 

 those that are broken, or cut, should be thrown aside 

 for present spending, as they would decay in the 

 heap, and spread infection to the rest Those who 

 grow large quantities for cattle, stack them in hovels, 

 Q 2 



