178 The Profitable Culture of Vegetables. 



18in. apart. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to 

 handle they should be thinned without delay to 2in. apart, and 

 as soon as they are seen to be large enough for bunching they 

 are thinned again from 4in. to 6in. apart. This second thinning 

 should never be omitted and should be done thoroughly, or 

 numbers of the plants are left to grow huddled together, where 

 they make only small useless roots. After thinning, the soil 

 should be drawn with the hoe to each side of the rows, so as to 

 fill up all spaces left by the removal of the roots, and so help to 

 keep the carrot fly at bay. 



Further cultivation during the summer consists in keeping 

 the plants free of weeds and the spaces between the rows in a 

 loose condition by frequent hoeing. The mulch of loose soil 

 thus formed helps to conserve the moisture in the soil below, 

 and by ensuring a steady growth does much to prevent the 

 splitting of the roots which takes place when a drought is 

 followed by a period of wet. 



Choice young roots can be had in autumn and the early part 

 of winter from a sowing of one of the early varieties on good 

 rich soil in the first or second week of July. They must not be 

 allowed to suffer from lack of water. If the sowing is made on 

 a sheltered bed, where they can be easily protected on the 

 approach of frost, the supply can be prolonged. A further 

 sowing can be made in August in open frames, or on beds which 

 can be covered by box frames. On the approach of frost the 

 lights are placed over these, though plenty of ventilation is 

 given whenever the weather will permit. As the weather gets 

 severe the frames are covered with mats. By careful manage- 

 ment this will give a supply of tender roots until the turn of 

 the year. 



Early in October, in fine weather, the main-crop roots are 

 lifted, cleared of soil, and the leaves cut off to |in. of the top. 

 When the quantity is only moderate they may be stored in a 

 dry shed or cellar. Here a foundation of dry earth or sand is 

 laid down on which the roots are placed in regular layers with 

 earth or sand between each layer until they are about 3ft, deep. 

 The tops of one layer alternate with the bottoms of the next. 

 A few rough boards are fixed at the front and ends of the heap 

 to keep them in position. When the quantity to be dealt with 



