CARROTS. 121 



tention. Among vegetables, the carrot is deemed by- 

 many writers, both in Europe and America, to combine 

 more" advantages than almost any other, considering the 

 quantity and quahty of its produce, and the etfect of its 

 cultivation, in deepening, clearing, and ameliorating the 

 ground, for subsequent crops. They will yield, with 

 the best cultivation, from six to eight hundred bushels 

 to an acre. They require a mellow soil, into which 

 they can easily penetrate deeply. They will grow verj 

 well on one which is moderately rich ; provided it be 

 well and deeply mellowed, to the depth of ten or twelve 

 inches. If the plough do not go deep enough at once, 

 it should be trench plou^jhed ; that is, the plough should 

 pass twice in the furrow. A fertile sand, a sandy loam, 

 a dry warm loam, or a fertile gravelly loam, are each 

 suitable for them, with proper manuring and cultivation. 



The seed should be obtained from fine deep-red, or 

 orange colored roots, carefully preserved, and collected 

 only from the centre seed stalks. The pale colored 

 roots, and yellow ones, are fast degenerating. About four 

 and a half pounds of seed are sufficient for an acre, when 

 sown broad cast. 



Carrots should be planted as soon as the ground caa 

 be made light and loose, the last of April or first of May 

 is late enough. They will do tolerably well later, es- 

 pecially if the seed are steeped. Before sowing or plant- 

 ing, rub the seed betwixt the hands, to take otlMhe 

 beards, to prevent them from sticking together ; with the 

 same intention it is soAetimes mixed with sand, or tine 

 saw dust. Put on a sufficient quantity of the most rot- 

 ten compost, to make the ground rich. Fresh dung 

 should not be applied to this crop. 



The sowing is performed, either in the broad-cast way 

 or the drill. In the former, the seed is covered with a 

 rake instead of a harrow, to prevent its being covered 

 too deep. The first hoeing being finished, after they 

 have arrived to a suitable size, the ground can all be 

 harrowed over, without any injury to one plant, per- 

 haps, in fifty, if they are uncovered of the din thrown 

 on by the harrow : This is a proper time to thin them, 

 letting them stand about six inches assunder. A second 

 hoeing should be given as soon as the weeds and the 

 growth of the crop render it necessasy. If the plants 



