202 THE SCHOOL GARDEN BOOK 



There are also variations in the color. The common forms 

 are orange, red, or yellow, but there are also varieties which 

 are white and others which are purple. For school and 

 home gardens, the early varieties are generally the most de- 

 sirable to plant. Of these, the half-long sorts are the more 

 satisfactory. If one has a cold-frame, however, the little 

 round early forcing variety will be particularly pleasing; 

 for it comes to maturity in a few weeks, and has the finest 

 flavor as a table vegetable. Its quick growth commends it 

 for use in the school garden, since it may be harvested before 

 school closes in June. 



Like many of the seeds of the great parsley family, to 

 which this plant belongs, the seeds of carrots are generally 

 rather slow in starting. Consequently, it is desirable to 

 scatter in the same row with them a few radish seeds, in 

 order that the latter may come up quickly and mark the 

 rows so that the ground may be hoed before the weeds have 

 a chance to start. The carrot seed should be sowed rather 

 thinly in rows about a foot apart, and the young seedlings 

 thinned to about four inches apart when they are well up. 

 The plants do best in a moist, loamy soil, the surface of which 

 should, of course, be kept well tilled and free from weeds. 

 Care must be taken in hoeing that the plants are not covered 

 up by too much soil on the one hand, and that the soil is not 

 drawn too much away from them on the other. They are 

 not a quick-growing crop and require, even under favorable 

 conditions, eight to ten weeks before they reach a size large 

 enough for use. 



About the only insect that is likely to be troublesome to 

 the carrot is the caterpillar of the black swallowtail butterfly. 

 These caterpillars are green and black in color, and on 



