CAEEOT. 



221 



by the Patent Office in 1854, and from its report tliis arti- 

 cle is slightly condensed. 



Culture. — It sliould be planted here in April, after the 

 frosts are over, in bunches two feet apart each M^ay, ten 

 or twelve tubers in each, about six inches asunder. As 

 soon as the first shoots appear, the ground should be 

 watered, and every ten days thereafter, should there be 

 no rain. Carefully eradicate the weeds, Avhich is all the 

 cultivation required. Pinch off the flowers when they 

 appear, that the tubers may be of a larger size. When 

 they arrive at maturity, they m'ay be dug out of the 

 ground and stored away. In drying they lose about one- 

 third of their weight. 



Use. — The tubers resemble in taste a delicious chestnut 

 or cocoanut, and may be eaten raw or cooked. Soaked in 

 water, they are eaten as a sauce. They are also mostly 

 employed in making an orgeat, a delightful and refresh- 

 ing drink, much used in Spain, Cuba, and other hot cli- 

 mates where it is known. 



Dancus Carota — Carrot. 

 The carrot is a hardy biennial, found wild in Great 

 Britain and various parts of Europe, growing in sandy soil 

 or by road-sides. The root of the wild plant is small, 

 white, dry, woody, and strong flavored ; while that of the 

 cultivated variety is large, succulent, and generally of. a 

 reddish yellow or pale straw color. The cultivated carrot 

 is however thought to have been brought into Europe 

 from the island of Crete, where it was early cultivated. 

 It was carried to England by Flemish refugees in the days 

 of Elizabeth, and the leaves were thought beautiful 

 enough to be used in ladies' head-dresses. Cultivation has 

 thus changed a wild, worthless plant into the most nutri- 

 tious of all roots. 



