104 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
! 
December 1. 
“ beautiful tribe of plants,” how to proceed in the work 
as to ensure, as far as possible, that improvement; and 
here, again, I must take the liberty of quoting my 
friend :—“ There is no end of the varieties and elegant 
forms that may be obtained. It is quite clear, however, 
that ineomparabilis is no species. I think bicolor is not 
a species ; and that the number of species is very small. 
The late Dean of Manchester mentions N. montanus as 
being difficult to seed. I have three crops of seedlings 
from this crossed both with long and short-tubed kinds. 
It will cross with Ajax, poeticus, and anyustifolia, and, 
I think, with Jonquila. Calatldna never seeds with 
me, but its pollen fertilizes the long-tubed species. 
| Bicolor seeds occasionally, but not freely. They will 
cross with angustifolius, poeticus, and poculiformis, also 
with pumilus. Moschatus and tortuosus seed pretty 
freely; they will cross with any of the long-tubed 
kinds, and the produce is always beautiful.” 
The reader will perceive in the “ Gardeners’ Maga¬ 
zine,” vol. l.page 160, that the way of hybridizing is 
not described in the foregoing extracts. In my next, 
I will endeavour to describe how that should be done. 
In the meantime, any one intending to enter into this 
very interesting field of improvement should lose no 
time in procuring and pottiug the varieties mentioned, 
in order to have flowers to operate upon next spring. 
T. Appleby. 
(To he continued .) 
PRESERVATION AND STORING OF ROOTS. 
(Continued from page 125.) 
Having, in my first paper, treated of the mode of pre¬ 
serving and storing the Mangold Wurtzel, it is now my 
intention to bring under consideration the Carrot crop, 
showing the difference in management required for open 
field-feeding of sheep, and that of storing for house or 
yard-feeding of cattle, swine, &c. The White Carrot, 
owing to the great value and feeding properties of the 
greens, requires somewhat exceptional management, as 
compared with either Mangold or Swedish Turnips. 
In order, therefore, to obtain the full advantage of the 
greens for feeding, it is necessary to commence lifting 
the crop at an early period, and in case of a large 
breadth being grown, it is requisite to begin digging the 
roots before they are arrived at full size and maturity, 
and often as early as the beginning of October. For, 
although the roots, iu most seasons, will continue to in¬ 
crease in size long after that period, yet the large and 
gross foliage of the plants, when taken up thus early, 
will amply compensate for any loss incurred by the 
roots not being matured. It must also be borne in mind, 
when the above plan is pursued, the greens may be 
made use of for feediug milch cows, sheep, and pigs, for 
three or four months in succession. It will, therefore, 
be desirable not to lift the crop faster than the cattle or 
sheep can consume the leaf, for the roots, unlike Man¬ 
gold, will not rot from the effect of frost, and may be 
allowed to remain in the land as long as the greens are 
; fresh, and yield a profitable amount of food; which, 
however, rapidly diminishes in quantity and quality, iu 
| most seasons, after the beginning of the month of 
; December. I have found the Carrot quite as hardy as 
| the Swede, if allowed to remain in the land undisturbed, 
and if taken up at all seasonable times, when the weather 
is open, they may be then put into store-heaps with per¬ 
fect safety. 
I would, however, here observe, that although they 
will not rot from the effect of frost, to any greater extent 
than the Swedish Turnip ; yet both these roots will 
lose more or less of their feeding value after being ; 
frosted. When this crop is intended for feeding sheep 
in the field, it is best to take up the roots, and put them : 
into stacks of one hurdle square, or into heaps, in 
advance of the sheep, having the roots cleaned fit for 
the cutter at the time of digging, aud that portion of the 
crop required for feeding, till the month of January, in 
ordinary seasons, will not require covering of any sort. 
For feeding during the spring months, the roots should 
bo placed in small heaps, containing about fifteen or 
twenty bushels, and covered with a little earth; this is 
desirable, not only to protect them from the weather, but 
to prevent the depredations of hares and rabbits, which 
animals are especially fond of them, and will travel miles 
during the night season to obtain their favourite food. 
I am now arrived at that part of the subject which 
relates to the storing of this root for the feeding of 
cattle, &c., in house and yards, See., and for this purpose, 
the roots should bo put away in such a manner that 
they may be preserved sound and nutritious till the 
latest period. After taking up the roots, the greens 
should be removed with a sharp hook, cutting off a por¬ 
tion of the crown of the root, which will answer the two¬ 
fold purpose of preventing the roots from sprouting so 
early in the heap, and, also, of holding the leaves to¬ 
gether, which will prevent waste, and facilitate the cart¬ 
ing, by diminishing labour. 
It is not necessary to clean the roots when required 
for late use; I rather prefer them put inlto stack with a 
portion of earth attached, for by this means they keep 
better, being more cool, and less affected by the circula¬ 
tion of air in the spring months; the effect of which is 
to cause them to grow out, thus reduciug the feeding 
value, and inducing a tendency to decay. For the same 
reason, I would, also, place the stacks, or heaps, where 
they may be shaded by trees or buildings, and give them 
a thick and substantial covering of earth. The manner 
of making the stack may be best effected in the way re¬ 
commended for Mangold, by placing the roots in heap, 
from five to seven feet wide at bottom, and carried up 
to a point at the top, the length being extended as cir¬ 
cumstances may require. 
It has been urged, by some parties, that the expence 
of lifting the crop is so great as to prove a serious draw¬ 
back upon its value. It is, therefore, necessary that I 
should here call attention to the facts of the case, not 
only as to the cheapest method of digging the crop, but, 
also, how far the value of the greens, as compared with 
other roots, will serve to compensate for any extra outlay 
in labour for digging. To decide this point, I will take the 
tops of a crop of Swedish Turnips, at 24 tons per acre, 
value 2s. per ton=5s. I will also take the greens of a 
crop of Carrots, at 6 tons per acre, value 4s. 6d. per 
ton—27s. The difference in favour of the Carrot-greens 
