CAR 



CAR 



high. They are to be taken up du- 

 ring winter, like celery. They are 

 in perfection from autumn through 

 the winter. An ounce of seed pro- 

 duces 600 young plants ; for seeds 

 protect the plant, without any blanch- 

 ing, through the winter, and it will 

 flower in the following July. 



CARDUUS. The generic name of 

 numerous thistles. 



CAREX. The genus of sedges and 

 rushes. 



CARIES. Mortification or ulcera- 

 tion of any bone. It gradually pro- 

 duces the destruction of the part, and 

 can only be arrested by scraping out 

 every diseased.portion. 



CARMINATIVE. Any medicine 

 that dispels flatulency and relieves 

 the uneasiness of the stomach. The 

 best are caraways, ginger, anise seed, 

 cardamoms, especially as tinctures, 

 or dissolved in alcohol. 



CARNIVORA. The race of ani- 

 mals that live on animal food. 



CAROB. A tree cultivated in 

 Southern France for the pods it pro- 

 duces. These contain a reddish pulp 

 of a sweet, amylaceous nature, and 

 are a foot long. They are used as 

 food for men and horses. 



CAROTID ARTERY. The large 

 arteries that carry red blood to the 

 head. There is one on each side the 

 neck, known by its strong pulsa- 

 tions. 



CARPEL (from napTznc, fruit). 

 Each division or cell of a fruit is a 

 carpel. The number of carpels, or 

 carpellary leaves, is as the number of 

 divisions m the pistil, which is the 

 uppermost part of the carpel. 



CARROT. The Daucus carola im- 

 proved by tillage, of the natural fam- 

 ily UmbellifercB. The carrot requires 

 a deep, dry, sandy loam, which should 

 be prepared by subsoiling ; they are 

 also much improved by humus in the 

 soil, and come best after a crop to 

 which a heavy manuring has been 

 given. The best field kinds are the 

 white, the long red, the Altringham, 

 and the orange ; of these the white 

 is most prolific and valuable. The 

 amount of seed is three to five pounds 

 the acre ; it must be steeped well, or 

 132 



kept in moist mould until it has ger- 

 minated, and sown in drills one inch 

 deep and one foot apart. For a full 

 crop, April is the time of planting ; 

 but a fair yield can be obtained by 

 sowing immediately after wheat, or in 

 June. The plants must be well work- 

 ed, weeded, and thinned out to five 

 inches ; but it is erroneous to pull the 

 leaves for fodder. In October, or 

 when the ground is beginning to 

 freeze, they can be raised by turning 

 the earth from the roots by a plough, 

 and drawing them by hand. They 

 are to be topped, and stored in the 

 cellar, or a proper barrow or camp ; 

 they will keep well till spring. A 

 good crop is 600 bushels ; but 400 is 

 more common. There is no peculi- 

 arity in garden culture, except that 

 the early orange must be sown soon- 

 er ; the long orange is the best fall 

 crop. 



Expense of Cultivation. — Colonel 

 Meacham, who succeeded in obtain- 

 ing 1000 bushels of carrots per acre 

 for several years, estimates the ex- 

 pense per acre at S35. This culture 

 adapts the land admirably for wheat 

 or barley. 



Vahie as Food. — It is extensively 

 used in England, and to some extent 

 in the Eastern and Northern States, 

 as horse fodder, and is well adapted 

 to oxen, hogs, &c. The carrots should 

 be boiled or steamed, or, if given 

 raw, sliced with a vegetable cutter. 

 According to Antoine's tables, 276 

 pounds equal 100 of hay (see Fod- 

 ders) ; they make twice as good fod- 

 der as turnips, and nearly equal to 

 potatoes. Carrots and hay are a 

 good fodder for horses, or, when 

 given alone, about fifty pounds pre- 

 pared will be necessary each day. 

 They are very fattening. 



Special Manures. — The ashes of the 

 carrot are, per cent., potash and so- 

 da, 45 ; lime, 10 ; sulphuric acid, 2-7 ; 

 phosphoric acid, 514. It is, there- 

 fore, remarkable for its affinity for 

 alkalies. Hence, ashes, common salt, 

 and gypsum are eminently useful as 

 manures. An abundance of well- 

 rotted leaves and muck should be 

 added. 



