AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
162 
premium? Certainty not. I have no horses to 
exhibit, and, am moved to this communication, 
simply from the interest I feel in the improve¬ 
ment of that class of horses that does not enjoy 
the patronage of the Rhode Island Society. 
Ilorsc Shows are becoming fixed institutions, 
and some exertions should be used to make 
every exhibition further the same end, and 
there should be a unity of purpose through 
them all. Effort should be made to prevent 
this thrusting into the back-ground that most 
useful class of draught horses. IX 
CULTURE OF THE FIELD CARROT. 
BY A PRACTICAL FARMER. 
Trough rather late in the season, we copy 
the following excellent article on the cultivation 
of the carrot, from the Marie Lane Express, just 
received, as the method given bj' the writer is 
nearly as well adapted to this country as to 
England. For a field crop, however, we recom¬ 
mend the Belgian White carrot in preference to 
the others mentioned, as it grows much larger. 
Tt can be sown very rapidly by a hand drill. 
These may be obtained at various prices, $3 50, 
$6, $10, and upwards, which will sow accu¬ 
rately, evenly, and as fast as one can walk. The 
rows should be three feet apart, so as to admit 
working between them with a small horse culti¬ 
vator. 
The plants should be finally thinned t.o stand 
not nearer to each other in the row than six 
inches, as they frequently grow 4 to G inches in 
diameter, and in many instances still larger. In 
good ground, thus thinned, and with rows three 
feet apart, as great a crop can be obtained as if 
they were planted closer. 
The writer of this article seems to be ignorant 
of the merits of the sugar beef, which we think 
more valuable for cattle, sheep, and pigs, than 
the carrot, though the latter is probably best 
for horses. The sugar beet is a great yielder, 
fully equal to the mangold wurzel, and much 
more palatable and nutritious. We gave brief 
directions for the cultivation of this beet on the 
first page, No. 1, of this volume. 
There are numerous varieties and sub-varie¬ 
ties in the carrot tribe. Like all other plants 
designed for field culture, it has passed through 
many gradations, and under the fostering care 
of scientific growers it has been wonderfully im¬ 
proved in its nature and the abundance of its 
produce. Such is the productiveness of the car¬ 
rot crop under the best culture, that few others 
can equal it. The potato crop cannot yield so 
large a return per acre, nor will the food of the 
potato bear a comparison in its fattening quali¬ 
ties with the carrot, besides its freedom from 
disease. It will also bear comparison with 
either the mangold wurzel or turnip crop : it is 
a far more valuable crop than either of them, 
and will yield pretty near as much weight of 
food per acre. The carrot crop has been known 
to produce 40 tons per acre, and frequently 30 
tons are obtained. Tne average yield, however, 
on good soils and fair crops is from 12 to 25 
tons per acre. 
Variety —The varieties generally grown in 
field-culture are the Long Orange field carrot, 
the Improved Altringham carrot and the White 
Belgian carrot. I have grown these varieties, 
but am quite at a loss as to their respective 
merits ; 1 believe them to be of equal value. I 
certainty had most profit from the White Bel¬ 
gian, but it was more owing to the soil and sea¬ 
son than to the variety; moreover, the red va¬ 
rieties appear to retain most favor with the pub¬ 
lic, and, of course, meet with a more ready sale | 
at fuller prices; for farm service this is immate¬ 
rial. 
Soil —The soils best suited to the profitable 
culture of carrots arc deep rich loams of moder¬ 
ate consistencjq and rich reclaimed bogs ; good 
sandy loams are well adapted for their culture ; 
light sands and gravels, if well manured and 
pulverized to a considerable depth, will produce 
good crops ; indeed, any soil of sufficient rich¬ 
ness, and that can be cultivated to the depth of 
8 to 12 inches, will bring admirable crops. 
Preparation of Soil —To insure a crop of car¬ 
rots the land must be thoroughly worked and 
well pulverized to a considerable depth, (not less 
than ten inches will suffice by any means;) it 
must be cleaned as much as possible from all 
root weeds, and the annuals must, if practica¬ 
ble, be made to vegetate, and then be destroyed 
before the carrot seed is sown, otherwise much 
difficulty ensues. The manuring should con¬ 
sist of old, well-fermented dung; and if applied 
early in the spring, and then plowed in and well 
incorporated with the soil, all the better; it will 
tend much to prevent the growth of “fangs,” 
instead of the long roots. Should this be incon¬ 
venient, the common ordinary manuring may 
take place immediately before sowing, to be well 
and deeply plowed in and rolled down with a 
rather light field roller. It is not desirable to 
plant carrots on ridges, but on the flat they are 
less fangy, and, of course, more valuable. 
Preparation of Seed —This is of more impor¬ 
tance than is generally given to it. The seed 
should be mixed with earth, coal ashes, sand, or 
like material. Bone-dust, rape cake, or some of 
the new manufactured manures might with ad¬ 
vantage be substituted, the object being to sep¬ 
arate the seeds for drilling, while at the same 
time by a slight moistening they may be made 
to vegetate. This mixture, with a few grains ot 
barley or white mustard thrown in, to mark the 
rows by its early growth, may be made, and 
regulated according to the quantity which the 
drill is known best to deposit; it is of no conse¬ 
quence as to the quantity of the mixture, pro¬ 
viding the whole is evenly mixed; it is merely 
drilling in so much manure with the seed to 
promote its more rapid growth. From three to 
five pounds of seed are requisite for an acre. 
Drilling — This may be very satisfactorily 
done by any good manure-drill capable of drill¬ 
ing-in margold wurzel seeds, or turnips; or, if 
only a small mixture, say two or three bushels, 
is made, the common corn drill will do very 
well. The distance between the rows should be 
about twelve to fourteen inches, and the depth 
about one inch. If the land is dry and season 
unpropitious, it is best to roll or slightly'' har¬ 
row in ; but if rain is likely to fall, it is best to 
leave the drills open. The months of April and 
May are best for sowing. 
After-culture — This mainly consists of weed¬ 
ing, hoeing, and singling. These should all be 
done by hand, and as often as required. The 
first hoeing should be between the rows, and to 
take place as soon as the rows are discoverable; 
the next should be when the plants are suffici¬ 
ently high to allow the hoe to' be struck across 
the rows, so as to leave the healthy plants about 
six inches apart along the rows, sooner a little 
wider than less, as it is proved that a reasona¬ 
ble width apart gives the greater yield and finer 
roots. The weeding and singling should soon 
follow, when probably, if the land has been 
nicety managed, another hoeing in the month of 
June or early in July may complete the culture. 
Wide drilling and horse-hoeing are not applica¬ 
ble to the carrot crop. The young plant is of 
too tender growth, and requires careful nursing 
and continuous attention. 
Storing —This is an expensive process, and is 
the great objection to carrot cultivation. It be¬ 
gins in October, and it can only be property 
done by digging up the roots cither with a 
three-pronged fork or other tool; they must 
then be gathered into carts, and led to the grave, 
and piled up as described for mangold wurzel 
or potatoes. Carrots are more subject to take 
heat than most other r oots, and will require | 
greater care in storing; the heaps or graves 
must not be too large, or raised too high, nor 
covered down too thickly. They should have 
ventilating holes in the grave as long as the 
season will allow. The lops should be carefully 
cut off above the crown before digging, and 
taken to stock for immediate consumption. 
Burrows, in his communications to the Board of 
Agriculture, says: “The carrots keep best in 
the ground, nor can the scvei est frosts do them 
any material injury.” He prefers to let them 
remain in the ground till March, when they arc 
taken up in dry weather, and stored as above. 
Application —The carrot abounds in nutri¬ 
tive matter, and does not require any process 
beyond cleaning to prepare it for food for cattle, 
horses, &c.; no steaming, no boiling. It is the 
most valuable of all roots for horses, and is 
proved to fatten cattle faster, and even cheaper, 
than turnips. The proper allowance of carrots 
for a horse is from 50 to 70 lbs. per day. All 
stock thrive well upon them. Cattle, sheep, 
and pigs fatten faster upon them than any other 
roots. If grown for sale, it is very valuable, 
making from £3 10s. to £4 per ton in the Lon¬ 
don market. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
NATIONAL POULTRY FAIR AND THE NORTH¬ 
ERN FARMER. 
Editors Agriculturist: 
Gentlemen: My attention has just been 
called to an article in the April number of Mi¬ 
ner's Northern Farmer , headed “National Poul- 
tr} r Fair in New-Yotk.” In this article Mr. Mi¬ 
ner, after saying that it requires two weeks to 
print the two editions of the Farmer on a steam 
press! and further, that the readers of his pa¬ 
per must not expect to have detailed accounts 
of poultry shows, etc., etc., proceeds to deal out 
a mass of slang against the National Poultry 
Society, the Judges, etc. Mr. Miner appears to 
think that the Judges, in recommending that all 
large Asiatics be called Shanghai \ meant to 
continue the old titles, and use them thus, 
“ Brahma Shanghais ,” “ Chittagong Shanghais." 
It is well known that the committee sug¬ 
gested that “Shanghais” should only be desig¬ 
nated by their color. Mr. Miner boldly states 
that the committee acted from a prejudice 
against the name Brahma Pootra, and a desire 
to put down that popular breed. He might just 
as well say that there was a prejudice against 
the Cochins or Chittagongs. 
Mr. Miner thinks that the introduction of the 
resolution was an exparte matter and not sanc¬ 
tioned by the three Judges. Messrs. Plaisted 
and Taggart he knows would never assume such 
a position, and as Mr. Giles is the sworn enemy 
of Brahmas and Chittagongs, he is led to believe 
that he had the honor of the deed. Poor John 
Giles ! 
Mr. Giles tvas not a member of the committee 
at all, and Mr. Plaisted being an exhibitor was 
of course prevented from acting. Mr. Moore, of 
Rochester, was absent, and the committee con¬ 
sisted only of the following gentlemen, viz. : 
Messrs. Taggart, Wilkinson and Andrews. 
Thej' agreed entirely as to the recommendation, 
and further, when it was introduced to the 
meeting of the Society, at which a great many 
of the Managers of the Suciety were present, and 
scores of the most distinguished fowl breeders 
and importers of the country, not a voice was 
raised against the procedure. 
The “recommendations” and “resolutions” 
were fully discussed, and not concocted by out¬ 
siders. Mr. Miner laughs at the “ resolution” 
recommending “ That all full crested fowl; be 
called Polands,” and winds up his attempted 
severe remarks by wondering why the Judges 
did not sign their names to the reports. I am 
not prepared to believe that any of the gentle¬ 
men were ashamed to do so. They are not the 
men to shrink from any responsibility. I have 
written this brief article with no desire to object 
to Mr. Miner’s views on nomenclature, and have 
no opinion to present at present, touching the 
