522 



THE CARDOON. 



be gathered towards the month of May. Other sowings 

 are made in February and March, from which time they 

 may be continued regularly until July. But at whatever 

 time the sowing takes place, the ground ought to be well 

 prepared, and the seed sown broadcast, in the proportion of 

 about nine pounds to every acre. After the seed is sown 

 the ground is slightly covered, and then trodden down with 

 the feet, after which a layer of fine and thoroughly rotted 

 manure is spread over the whole ; the ground is then raked 

 lightly, and watered whenever it is necessary. As soon as 

 the young plants make their appearance, the crop, which is 

 generally too thick^ is carefully thinned out. Three months 

 after the time of sowing, the more forward Carrots may be 

 gathered, the results of the latter sowings being left until 

 November. When the Carrots are gathered^ the neck of 

 each is cut, and the roots are prepared, after which they are 

 covered with long litter^ or else placed in a house for storing, 

 so as to have a ready supply during the winter. In the case 

 of light and fertile soils they need not be pulled up, as it will 

 be only necessary to cover up the Carrot beds, so as to be 

 able to gather them when wanted. The market gardeners 

 of Meaux preserve their early Carrots by digging trenches in 

 the autumn three feet wide, two feet six inches in depth, in 

 which they place their Carrots, and cover them with straw 

 during the frosty weather. In this way they are able to 

 keep them until the end of February or beginning of March, 

 which is the time at which they begin to sell."-' 



The Cardoon. — The Cardoon, being a plant of very vigor- 

 ous habit, must be grown in the best and richest soil of the 

 garden, and well watered frequently. If it is sown in April 

 and not watered abundantly many of the plants will go to 

 seed during the summer, for which reason it is better to 

 defer the sowing of it until May, when it may be performed 

 either in the open ground or in a seed bed. It is better 

 to adopt the former method, as the Cardoon having a very 

 smooth, fibreless, conical root is ill adapted for transplanting. 

 Those, however, who prefer the latter method may sow it 

 in a seed bed and plant it out when old enough. In a 

 well-dug bed about seven feet wide, two furrows are traced 



