131 



CARROT.— DAUCUS. 



A genus of the Tentandria Digynia class. 

 It is a biennial plant, belonging to the nu- 

 merous Umbellated family . 



Actvxos, Dioscor. Daucus, Plin. from dcctoa, 

 as some think, on account of its hot taste. 



The wild carrot, Daucus Carota, is indi- 

 genous to our soil, the seed of which, it is 

 said, when sown in manured ground, will pro- 

 duce good roots the second or third year ; 

 but Miller tells us that he could not suc- 

 ceed in obtaining good carrots from the seed 

 of the Daucus Carota. 



The best kind of carrots appear to have 

 been natives of Candia, where, according to 

 Pliny, the finest and most esteemed carrots 

 were to be found ; and the next to them 

 in Achaia.* This author observes, that in 

 whatever country they grow, the best are 

 produced in sound dry ground ; that wild 

 carrots are to be found in most countries, 

 but never in a poor hungry soil. 



# Book xxv. c. 9. 

 K 2 



