CARROT. 



121 



Fig. (i).— Harvesting Ion;? carrots and parsnips by plowing the earth away 

 on one side, and then pulling the roots by hand. 



Shoring. Carrots are easily kept over winter in cellars, 

 providing they are in a temperature near the freezing point 

 and are not too ripe when dug. If the seed has been planted 

 too early, the roots will ripen up early in the fall and will 

 cease to grow, and many of the leaves will turn yellow. Such 

 roots do not keep well, but are liable to sprout badly long be- 

 fore spring, even if kept cold. To have the roots keep best, 

 they should be growing rapidly when dug. In dry cellars, it 

 may be necessary to cover with loam or sand to prevent those 

 on top of the bin or pile from wilting. If they are to be fed 

 early in the winter, they may be piled in the barn and covered 

 with chaff and straw sufficient to keep out the frost. 



Carrot seed is raised by planting out the roots in the spring, 

 about two feet apart, in rows four feet apart. The seed heads 

 ripen irregularly and are gathered as they ripen and threshed 

 when dry. Theseed is generally rubbed against a sieve having a 

 fine mesh to take the bristles off. otherwise it would be a 

 difficult matter to sow it in a machine. 



Forcing carrots is carried on to a limited extent, for which 

 purpose they may be sown between rows of radishes in the 

 hotbed or greenhouse. 



Varieties. For very early table use the Short Scarlet is best. 

 For general use in summer and for winter use. perhaps there 

 is no better variety than the Danvers. The Guerande Half 



