1 Jone, 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 417 
Acriculture. 
MARKET GARDENING. 
ROOT CROPS. 
CARROTS. 
Tre carrot (Daucus Carota) is x biennial plant indigetious to Europe, and is 
said by some authorities to have been derived from the common wild carrot, 
while others maintain that it has originated from a distinct species. 
The best crops of carrots are grown on rich sandy soil which has been 
heavily manured for a previous crop. Soil treated with rank new manure will 
not grow good carrots, as they invariably grow coarse and flavourless if the 
manure is too new. ; 
The soil should, therefore, if it requires enriching, have the manure applied 
some time previous to sowing the seed, and it ought also to be ploughed deeply 
to enable the roots to grow long and straight. : 
Tf the ground is hard underneath, the carrots will fork out, and perhaps 
growth may take place from the sides of the roots instead of continuing straight 
downwards. ; 
A. good time to sow the main crop of carrots here is in March or April, 
although with a little care they may be grown all the year round. The soil 
should be made as fine as possible before sowing the seed, because ‘arrot seed 
is of a very perishable nature, and the finer the soil is the better is the prospect 
of its germinating well. 
The drills may be from 16 inches to 3 feet apart, the latter distance being 
preferable where plenty of land is available, because the greater interval between 
the rows will make the work of cleaning and cultivating much easier, enabling 
most of it to be carried on by means of horse implements. 
The drills should not be more than 1 inch or 13 inches deep, and after sowing 
and covering in the drills a light roller should be passed over the ground to 
break all the lumps in the soil, and also to assist the seed to germinate. When 
the plants are a few inches high, they must be thinned out to from 3 to 6 inches 
part, and after that, the only requirement of the crop is that the ground be 
kept well stirred and free from weeds. 1 
Carrots should be fit for use in from 80 to 100 days after sowing. 
There are two distinct types of carrots grown for table use—the Short Horn 
and the Intermediate. The former comes to maturity early, and is perhaps the 
best for small gardens; but for growing on a large scale, the longer varieties 
are the more profitable. ‘ ot 
PARSNIPS. 
The parsnip (Pencedanum sativam) is a hardy biennial plant, and is a 
native of Great Britain, Central and Southern Europe. 
Its culture is easy, being precisely the same as that of the carrot ; depth of 
soil, however, being of primary importance. The ground must either be 
trenched or ploughed yery deeply to obtain good crops of parsnips. 
The seed may be sown in March or April for the main crop in drills from 
2 to 3 feet apart, the plants being subsequently thinned out to 8 or 9 inches. 
They should be ready for use in about 100 days after germinating. 
Besides being an excellent table vegetable, parsnips are largely used for 
stock in cold countries, and are considered a valuable winter food, 
