CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 1 5 



careful to dry the seed at a very moderate temperature ; rub- 

 bing with plaster, charcoal or earth dust will absorb what mois- 

 ture may remain when nearly dry. As Carrot seed vegetates 

 somewhat slowly and the plants are quite small when they 

 first appear, weeds are apt to get the start of them before the 

 rows can be seen with sufficient distinctness to make it safe 

 to use the slide hoe. For this reason many farmers practice 

 soaking the seed in water and keeping it at a temperature 

 that will nearly develop the sprout, before planting. This 

 may be done by soaking the seed from 36 to 48 hours in 

 milk warm, rather strong manure water, then removing it to 

 where the air is of about the same temperature. Stir it slight- 

 ly for a few days, and finally dry it sufficiently to drop freely 

 from the machine by adding plaster, charcoal or dust. Cam- 

 phor has a wonderful effect in stimulating the vitality of seed, 

 and the addition of a small quantity of it to the manure 

 water would doubtless be of advantage. This process should 

 not be carried so far as to develop the sprout. Should the 

 surface of the ground be very dry when the seed is sown, 

 this soaking process may be fatal, for if the germ is once 

 started it will not live in a dormant state ; it must either 

 grow or die : whereas, seed that have not been soaked will 

 vegetate after rains wet the dry surface. Be sure that the 

 seed planter has a good roller attached to it, and not a 

 mere coverer, as this will help confine the moisture and thus 

 materially aid in developing the seed. 



QUANTITY TO THE ACRE. 



Tables vary greatly, some advising as high as four pounds 

 to the acre. If the design is to raise small-sized roots for 

 early marketing, possibly this might not be an excess of seed, 

 but to advise so heavy seeding for ordinary field crops, means 

 that much of the seed is poor trash, probably old and worth- 

 less, and put in as a make-weight. 



