Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1856-04-18
Carrots and their Cultivation.

As winter feed for cattle and horses In
connection with hay, carrots are very valua.
bic, and should be grown by every farmer
who has stock 10 consume them. On land
properly prepared, their cultivation is at
tended with little trouble, and the return
they yield is as profitable Ns that Of any
other product Of the farm. The good inhu-
ence Of the carrot upon tho health aud thrift
Of animals fcd in part upon them, ha. ire
quently been remarked upon, and we now
propose to add few hints upon the bcst
mode Of cultivation.
The carrot, having long tap root re-
quircs a deep mellow soil, Of sandy or
loamy character, though 1t will grow on n
clay soil, II il is well drained and manurcl,
and large crops, have bccn produced in such
situations. The ground should bc compari.
lively irc from stones, as these obstruct the
Ploved dccply-thc deeper the bettcr-as
the carrot will 20 down A. far as the soil i
mellow, IL It is as rich as IL should b. 10 sus-
tain continued and vigorous growth. II
should b. manurcd with at least thirty loads
of compost or weli.rottcd stable manure Per
acre, and very thoroughly plowed and har.
rowcd, - as 10 10 mellow as we'll a. rich,
and then. II properly tended, a good crop
Of thi. valuable root will lc returned.
Swarl land, long seeded, and with deep
fertile soil, j. we'll suited to the production
of carrots. Manure freely upon the sol,
PIow deeply ani then top-drcss with a Iibrr-
al application Of compost manure. Mix
thi. intimately with the surface soil, by
means II a ging.plow, or cultiyator, and har.
row, aud then .ow on the -ccd. In the use
Of such land. and hy such course Of treat
mcnt. a new surface soil comparatively free
irom wc.-l., il gained, aud the grass being
entirely turned under the expense Of wedding
Is much lr-s than on ground prepared in
different manner.
Any time ia this mouth, or even the first
week in June, the carrot may b. '1wn. and
It will continue growing until the close Of
the season. The brst time, however, is a.
soon as the ground can he we'll prepared,
and while it Is yet fresh, moist aud mellow
the carrots will then start ahead of thc
weed, and can better bc kept in advance Of
them. About two pounds Of sc-l Ia the
acrr is sufficient. SAX il in warm water
tor ono or two days before planting, drain
ulT the water, then mix with equal parts Of
plaster and ashes, or plaster aud soot 10 sep
ar,tc the -,cd 50 that it may b. evenly dis
tributol by thc drill. SOW sixteen or cish-
teen inches apart, aud ir the drill is proper
ly regulated, ~ as not tD sow too thick, it
will ,t,c much labor n thinning the carrots
which should stand five inches apart IN a
row aud one plant in a place. aud no near
cr.
rs soon rs tie carrots appear, the cult
ntipn and working of the ground should
commence. While the weeds arr small,
light iron toothcd rake Is a capital tool it
give, a Gnc mellow surface, and the work of
dressing is a npil one. The ground should
h. kept clean with the hoe and rake, until
the toTs cover the surface which they will
do in .iV weeks or two months time, when
no further care will b, needed. Digging
can h. done in the case of large crops with
a plow, turning furrow from the side Of
each row,whcn they can readily b. taken out
hy the hand. Stpr, in heap. in the field for
spring u-r, II cellar room is scare, covering
with straw and earth, as IN buryins Pota-
toes.
The Orange Carrot is thought to be the
mos, yaluae variety, though some prefer
the White Belgium, as yielding larger crops.
From fye hundred 70 q thousand bushels
Per acre is the usual yield, though small
crup, at the ritr Of fifteen hundrci, are Of
frclucnt occurrence. At the lowest rate
the cost is about .ix cents pcr bushcl. and
any and every farmer who keeps stock, cat
tie, sheep, or horses, will find this crop
profitable one Trial on a small scale even,
is better than to neglect it entirely.