136 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



taking advantage of this occasional habit, and by sowing the 

 seed of late flowering plants in the autumn, Vilmorin succeeded 

 in producing a biennial strain resembling the cultivated varieties. 

 The fruit of the Carrot is a schizocarp, the ripe carpels of which 

 split into mericarps, each containing one seed. It is the meri- 

 carps which are sown by the gardener. The edible portion of 

 the Carrot is the large conical taproot, made up of the hypocotyl 

 and the primary root. At its lower end this taproot thins out 

 into a long cordlike portion, which extends to a very considerable 

 distance into the soil. A cross section of the taproot shows a red 

 rind and a yellow core. The rind is the bast and cortex; the 

 core is the wood. The cells of the tissues of the core are neither 

 lignified nor fibrous during the first year, except in the case of 

 plants which have reverted to the ancestral habit by " running 

 to seed." The reserve material of the cultivated plant is not 

 starch but sugar, and this is stored to the extent of 4 to 8 per 

 cent, in the tissues of the rind. It is the endeavour of seeds- 

 men to produce strains with a maximum of rind, since the pro- 

 portion of sugar is dependent on the proportion of rind. 



The most suitable soil for the growth of Carrots is a rather 

 light, well drained loam. The presence of undecomposed farm- 

 yard manure tends to the production of forked roots, and con- 

 sequently, as in the case of the Potato, it is the preceding crops 

 which should be well manured. Since it is the mericarps which 

 are sown, germination is slower than in the case of true seeds. 

 It is therefore best to damp the mericarps a few days before 

 sowing so as to soften their walls. It is also usual to mix the 

 " seed " with sand, so as to ensure a thin distribution. A soil 

 which has been well worked for the preceding crop and is on the 

 light side will require only to be dug over in March. From the 

 end of that month, and successionally if desired, in April and May, 

 the seed may be sown. The ground having been first trodden, 

 not too heavily, and then raked over, shallow drills are made 

 with the draw hoe one inch deep and one foot apart ; after sowing 

 thinly the soil is lightly raked over the drills. When the young 

 plants are two inches high they should be thinned out. This 

 thinning may be so conducted that at first the plants are four 

 inches apart. When big enough to be used for soups and stews, 



