No. 244. 1 145 



been introduced among vegetable seeds, at all events in its vrild state, 

 it must be considered a most pernicious weed, and should be eradica- 

 ted the moment it makes its appearance on your farms, as it spreads 

 rapidly, overcoming all its cultivated neighbors. It is a very sweet 

 root, and contains a larger quantity of sugar than the carrot. To some 

 persons it is unpleasant as a vegetable on this account. It is a very nu- 

 tritive food for stock; horses are particularly fond of it; in 1000 parts of 

 carrots in a green state, 99 parts of soluble nutritive matter, 9 parts 

 mucilage or starch, and 90 parts of saccliarine matter or sugar have 

 been found. The Irish people make a very pleasant drink by brew- 

 ing the liquor expressed from the carrot with hops, and in Scotland 

 they are boiled soft, crushed and incorporated with potatoes, quantity 

 for quantity, and fed to their children. It is considered by the Scotch 

 as a most excellent and nutritive food. I would recommend it to the 

 matrons of our Orphan Asylums, as a change of diet. 



They have been grown in the Island of Guernsey four feet and 

 three inches in length, and 4| inches in diameter, in rank, well pulver- 

 ized soil. For table use they should be raised in a deep rather poor 

 •soil, by which means their strong taste is eradicated and they become 

 farinaceous. 



The Beet (Beta Vulgaris) originated on the sea-coast of southern 

 Europe, and may now be seen growing wild, on the shores of the 

 Mediterranean Sea, in the vicinity of Marseilles and Toulon. Trudes- 

 cant introduced it into England as early as 1656, where it is princi- 

 pally used as a pickle ; on the continent of Europe, and in this coun- 

 try, it is used cold, dressed with sweet oil and vinegar. It is rarely 

 -eaten hot, as in that state is has a sickish disagreeable taste, and not 

 only that, but it frequently produces nausea, and is by many consid- 

 ered unhealthy. 



The Mangel Wurtzel is a coarser variety of the same family, and is 

 usually cultivated in England and America as food for stock. The 

 French have an improved kind obtained by cultivation, from which 

 they manufacture sugar equal to that obtained from the canes. 



Margraaf, a Prussian chemist, first called the attention of Europe- 

 ans to this subject in 1747. Chaptal was the first French chemist 

 that established a manufactory; he was followed by others, and in 



[Assembly, No. 244.] K 



