NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



151 



For the Neio England Farmer. 

 CULTIVATION OF CARROTS. 



Mr. Cole : When the time arrives for tying up 

 my cattle for the night, in expectation of a mc3s of 

 carrots, they rush for the stalls with a perfect loose- 

 ness ; all eyes are intently directed towards the place 

 from whence the favorite meal is to come ; and then 

 ensues such a craunching of roots, and such a smack- 

 ing of chops, that the observer, even though a sick 

 man, soon becomes hungry, and would talk to you 

 of the gusto of a full repast. It certainly is a pleas- 

 ure to the humane farmer to be able, bj' the growing 

 of carrots, so fully to gratify the taste, as well as to 

 promote the health and sleek condition, of his agri- 

 cultural animals. 



The carrot gives a better return than almost any 

 thing the farmer raises ; if the land is well chosen 

 and prepared, the work of tending it is easy and 

 pleasant ; as winter feed, it highly promotes the 

 health and growth of calves, colts, and store swine ; 

 cows fed upon it almost invariably do well at calving 

 time, and afterwards give a full flow of milk, yield- 

 ing the best of butter ; and a daily allowance of it 

 to the old horse causes him to forget his infirmities, 

 and almost to renew his youth. I am, therefore, sur- 

 prised that the carrot is not more generally grown 

 by our farmers. Hoping to attract attention some- 

 what to the importance and value of this root, I 

 wiU now tell you what I know about cultivating it. 



In raising the carrot, the largest crop will be ob- 

 tained, and the least labor will be required, by selecting 

 a piece of old grass-ground, of deep fertile soil. 

 Twenty loads per acre of partly fermented manure 

 should be spread upon the grass, and the sod and 

 manure turned under to the depth of eight or ten 

 inches, in the very nicest style of the art. If the top 

 soil will not admit of so deep a furrow by reason of 

 a subsoil of hard pan near the surface, or if the sole 

 of the plough, and the treading of the team, have 

 formed a hard crust by long use in shallow furrows, 

 the subsoil plough should be used, loosening and 

 pulverizing the earth to such a depth as may give 

 full range to the tap-root of the carrot. But if the 

 surface furrow can be taken nine inches deep, that 

 will answer. Twenty loads of line manure per acre 

 (compost is the best) should be spread on the in- 

 verted furrows, three or four inches deep of the sur- 

 face made perfectly fine and mellow, and well mixed 

 with manure by the harrow, and the seed immedi- 

 ately sown. The rows should be two feet apart 

 rather than nearer, because the after-culture can be 

 more easily performed. There are various cheap 

 machines for sowing carrots and other root seeds, 

 with which a man can sow an acre in two or three 

 hours, and do the work better too than it can be 

 done by hand-sowing. 



It is a great advantage gained, to manure, plough, 

 harrow, and sow at just the right time, one operation 

 following the other in quick succession ; for the 

 ground being tlius fresh, moist, and mellow, and the 

 surface perfectly clear of weeds, the young carrots 

 come on considerably ahead of other vegetation, and 

 t\\% first hoeing — the most laborious part of tlie whole 

 business — is done with comparatively little labor. 

 The latter part of May, or first of June, is early 

 enough to sow. For the same reason, the right time 

 to hoe should at all hazards be seized upon. Every 

 good cultivator knows that by attending to weeds 

 as soon as they appear above ground, a victory over 

 them is easily gained ; while a week's delay may cost 

 a severe struggle to accomplish the same object. If 

 for any reason, therefore, the weeds should come up 

 ahead of the carrots, the ground between tlio rows 

 should be hoed over, which can readily be done, for 

 the wheel of the seed-sower will leave its track so 

 distinctly as to point out where the young carrots 



arc. A light, iron-toothed rake is a capital tool to 

 clean a carrot crop with, provided the weeds are 

 young and tender. I have raised some crops with 

 no other weeding than the frequent raking of the 

 ground. It gives a very fine mellow surface, and the 

 >york can be rapidly done. I do not spend as much 

 time as some cultivators do in thinning out carrots, 

 and no doubt the crop is thereby somewhat smaller ; 

 but by regulating the sowing so as not to get on a 

 very great quantity of seed, I can grow a good 

 enough crop to satisfy me without the labor of thin- 

 ning the rows. 



The advantages arising from the choice of an 

 old greensward for the growing of carrots on, arc 

 these : by ploughing it so nicely as to shut all the 

 grass under to the depth of eight or nine inches, the 

 vegetation of the then surface is not only put out of 

 the way, but a new surface, free of weed seeds, is 

 brought up, upon which the carrots can be grown 

 with one third the expense they could be on old cul- 

 tivated ground ; the decomposing sod beneath keeps 

 the land light and mellow, is easily penetrated by 

 the tap-roots of the carrots, forms a sort of reservoir 

 for moisture, and, together with the manure turned 

 under, furnishes abundant sustenance for the crop, 

 in its latter and largest growth. The fine manure 

 on top stimulates the young plants in the outset. 



In harvesting the crop, a light plough may be run 

 near each row, and then, by pressing into the ground, 

 on the side of the row opposite the furrow made by 

 the plough, a broad, eight or ten tincd manure-fork, 

 and by gently prying up with it, the carrots may be 

 taken out rapidly, without injury. The tops may 

 be cut off" with a sharp caseknife, or twisted off with 

 the fingers. 



In stormg the crop, a root-cellar at the barn is just 

 the thing ; and if one is not already provided, it had 

 better be immediately. But if this is not thought 

 convenient or best, a portion of the crop, for early 

 feeding, can be put into the house-cellar, and the 

 remainder stored in a hole or in holes in the ground, 

 in the field, and covered temporarily with boards 

 and earth, so that they can be removed any time 

 when wanted. The expense of securing in this way 

 is trifling. 



In preparing carrots for feeding, they may be emptied 

 on to the barn-floor, and a good steel shovel, ground 

 to a sharp edge, will, in vigorous hands, cut them up 

 rapidly. But a Vegetable Cutter is better, and such 

 a machine can now be had, at the agricultural ware- 

 houses, at small cost. 



Five or six nice large carrots can be sot out, in the 

 spring, in a warm, sunny spot in the garden, and they 

 Avill furnish seed enough for the next year's sowing. 

 The tops will grow high and rank, and a temporary 

 frame will need to be placed aroiuid tlicm to keep 

 them from falling to the ground and spoiling the seed. 

 When the seed is ripe, it should be gathered in a dry 

 state, and then, if well preserved, it can be depended 

 upon the next year as sure to come up well. 



An acre of ground, well chosen, well manured, 

 nicely ploughed and prepared, sowed to carrots, and 

 properly tended, will yield eight or ten hundred 

 busliels, at an expense, according to circumstances, 

 of four to eight cents per busliel. Any farmer, liaving 

 stock to winter, and wishing to carry them througli 

 in high health and condition, who is not satisfied 

 with such a result, must grow some other crop, 

 unknown to me, to suit his fastidious taste. 



F. HOLBllOOK. 

 Brattleboro', Vt., April 18, 1850. 



Does not the echo of the sea-shcU tell of the worm 

 that once inhabited it ? and shall not man's good 

 deeds live after him and sing his praise ? 



