THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



and raw." "Raw!" exclaimed the physician in 

 amazement. When it transpired that his brief di- 

 rections of claret had been understood as carrots, 

 and they had been liberally supplied with the re- 

 sult of perfect recovery, whether through the me- 

 dium of faith or the medicinal qualities of the vege- 

 table, remained a matter of individual experiment, 

 but it is an item in favour of the carrots that they 

 are of no uncertain tonic value to animals. 



To grow carrots in perfection requires a rich, 

 deep, sandy loam, thoroughly prepared and deeply 

 cultivated. For an early crop, the seed should be 

 sown in April or May in drills, one foot to fifteen 

 inches apart, scattering the seeds as thinly and 

 evenly in the rows as possible and tramping them 

 down. For a late crop, the seed may be sown as 

 late as July 1st. As soon as the plants are large 

 enough, they should be thinned to stand four 

 inches apart in the rows and must be kept clear of 

 weeds and well cultivated. A little nitrate of soda 

 drilled into the soil along the rows will greatly 

 hasten the growth, or the nitrate may be applied 

 with a watering pot by dissolving it in water. 

 Phosphate worked into the rows before sowing the 

 seed is a help to rapid growth when the animal 



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