16 ESCULENT ROOTS. 



THE. CARROT. 



Daucus carota. 



Soil, Sowing, and Culture. The Carrot flourishes best 

 in a good, light, well-enriched loam. Where there is a 

 choice of situations, heavy and wet soils should be avoided ; 

 and, where extremes are alternatives, preference should be 

 given to the light and dry. If possible, the ground should 

 be stirred to the depth of twelvB or fifteen inches, incorporat- 

 ing a liberal application of well-digested compost, and well 

 pulverizing the soil in the operation. The surface should 

 next be levelled, cleared as much as possible of stones and 

 hard lumps of earth, and made mellow and friable ; in which 

 state, if the ground contains sufficient moisture to color the 

 surface when it is stirred, it will be ready for the seed. 

 This may be sown from the 1st of April to the 20th of 

 May ; but early sowings succeed best. The drills should 

 be made an inch in depth ; and, for the smaller garden 

 varieties, ten inches apart. The larger sorts are grown in 

 drills fourteen inches apart, the plants in the rows being 

 thinned to five or six inches asunder. 



Harvesting. The roots attain their full size by the 

 autumn of the first year, and, as they are not perfectly 

 hardy, should be dug and housed before the ground is 

 frozen. When large quantities are raised for stock, they 

 are generally placed in bulk in the cellar, without packing ; 

 but the finer sorts, when intended for the table, are usually 

 packed in earth or sand in order to retain their freshness 

 and flavor. With ordinary precaution, they will remain 

 sound and fresh until May or June. 



Seeds. The seeds of the several varieties differ little in 

 size, form, or color, and are not generally distinguishable 

 from each other. They will keep well two years ; and if 



