CARROT —CAULIFLOWER 471 
Carrot.— While essentially a farm crop in this country, the carrot 
is nevertheless a most acceptable garden vege- 
table. It is hardy and easily grown. The extra- 
early varieties may be forced in a hotbed, or 
seed may be sown as soon as the ground is fit 
to work in the spring. The stump-rooted, or 
half-long varieties (Fig. 3800), are sown for the 
general garden crop. 
Well-enriched, mellow loam, deeply dug or 
plowed, is best suited to the requirements of 
carrots. The seed for the main crop may be 
sown as late as July 1. Sow thickly, thinning 
to 3 to 4 inches in the row. The rows, if in a 
garden that is hand-worked, may be 12 inches 
apart. If the cultivation is performed with a 
horse, the rows should be from 2 to 3 feet apart. 
One ounce will sow 100 feet of drill. 
Cauliflower.— This is the choicest of all 
vegetables of the cabbage group, and its culture 
is much the most difficult. While the special 
requirements are few, they must be fully met if 300. A half-long 
good results are to be expected. ee 
The general culture of cauliflower is much like that of cabbage, 
except that the cauliflower, being more tender, should be more thor- 
oughly hardened off before setting out, the heads must be protected 
from hot suns, the plants must never suffer for moisture, and the 
greatest care must be taken to secure only highly bred seeds. 
It is essential that the plants be set out as carly as possible, as the 
warm weather of June causes them to make imperfect heads unless the 
soil is filled with moisture. No garden crop will so well repay the cost 
and time of thorough irrigation, either by running the water between 
the rows or applying it directly to the plants. When it is impossible 
to furnish water and there is danger of losing the soil moisture, it is a 
good plan to mulch heavily with straw or some other substance. This 
mulch, if put on just after a heavy rain, will hold the moisture for a 
long time. Cauliflower prospers best in a cool climate. 
