CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 1 7 



VARIETIES, AND WHAT KINDS TO GROW. 



Foreign catalogues give lists of about two dozen varie- 

 ties, which differ in earliness, size, color, form, termination of 

 root, characteristic of growing entirely under or partly above 

 ground, and in the size of the core or heart. In foreign cat- 

 alogues, what we call "Orange," are known as "Red" Car- 

 rots. From a test of these varieties I have thus far foun 1 

 nothing worthy of being added to the kinds already grown to 

 a greater or less extent in the United States. The yellow- 

 fleshed sorts are repudiated in New England by general con- 

 sent; yet the Yellow Belgian, on a limited trial has prove! 

 with me, to be an exceptionably good keeper- The Purple 

 or Blood-Red is of a deep purple color, a poor cropper and 

 by no means attractive to the eye. The remaining varieties 

 may be classed as follows : — Early, middling early and late. 

 The first class is made up of the Early Very Short Scarlet, 

 and the Early Scarlet Horn. The second class, of all the 

 half-long or short horn varieties, and the third, of the long 

 varieties, such as Long Orange, Belgian and Altringham 

 sorts. 



In addition to about one-half of these foreign varieties, 

 cultivated more or less generally in this country, there are 

 several kinds catalogued by seedsmen, all of which are but 

 improved strains made by careful selections, through a series 

 of years, from what was originally imported stock. These 

 strains usually bear the name of some person. A brief dis- 

 cussion of the more valuable varieties will now be in order. 

 Here I will lay down three general facts, viz. : — ist, that of 

 the various orange colored varieties, the shorter growing kinds 

 are, as a rule, the darker colored and sweeter flavored. 2d, 

 that the proportion of dark, orange-colored roots in any 

 crop, while it will depend largely on the care that has been 

 used in the selection of seed stock for a series of years, does 



