482 THE CARROT CROP. 



pillars of these moths are themselves kept in check by 

 two ichneumon parasites, the Ophion vulnerator and the 

 Cryptus profligator, which destroy them in vast numbers. 



These are all very fully described by Curtis, 1 who 

 recommends the usual application of lime, soot, or salt, 

 or all combined, as the most efficient remedy against 

 the attacks of the slugs, &c. To all descriptions of 

 ''aphides" tobacco- water is a certain and immediate check. 

 The millipedes and centipedes, and grubs of the "crane-fly/' 

 are much relished by the various insectivorous birds, par- 

 tridges, rooks, starlings, &c., that frequent our fields, who 

 are always on the look-out for them ; while the safest plan 

 to arrest the progress of "rust" is to remove the infected 

 plants directly they are noticed, or to dress the land as 

 soon as possible with spirits of tar in small quantities, 

 which appears to be obnoxious to the "carrot- fly/' In all 

 cases deep ploughing and careful eradication of weeds will 

 go far towards limiting materially the ravages of the 

 insects named the first by exposing those that lie in the 

 soil to the notice of the birds feeding on them, and the 

 last by destroying the breeding and rearing places, which 

 preserve the stock during the interval, whatever it may be, 

 until another crop of the same plant appears in the field. 



The chemistry of the carrot has been the subject of 

 investigation on the Continent as well as at home. The 

 proportion of top to root is about 20 to 25 per cent one 

 part to four or five parts. The proportion of water in the 

 root appears to be from 85 to 88 per cent., and in the 

 tops from 75 to 80 per cent. ; and the average percentage 

 of ash (mineral matter) in the root was found to be *904 

 (six specimens examined), and in the tops 4-12 per cent. 



The composition of this mineral matter was determined 

 by Messrs. Way and Ogston to be as follows: 



1 Farm Insects, p. 402. 



