Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-10-01

AOOt OfOpb-Ine CarrOL
Next in importance to the turnip and the
mangold stands the carrot. have not
learned that this root is maintaining its rep
utaton in the farming community, although
it is still generally cultivated inasmuch as
1t commands good prico in the market,
and is by some still considered valuable
food for horses. But the Swede is rapidly
taking its place-as a root more easily cul-
tivated, and more useful for all purposes Of
feeding cattle and horses The carrot is said
to produce an unhealthy condition Of the
secretory functions Of the horse, when it is
fed literally and for any length Of time. II
often brings on cutaneous disease not very
severe in It's character, but enough to indi-
cate an unhealthy condition of the system
it exctes the kidneys to such undue action
as TO weaken the animal, and creates ten.
dency to swelling i1 the legs. 1t seems TO
be less thought OF than formerly as food for
cattle. II is now claimed for il that il iu-
creases the flow, or is useful for the purposes
of iattening. At any rate, on these two
points it stands far below the Swede, and 1t
is mainly priced by those who use it as a
food for their dairy cows, that it improves
the color of the butter, aud perhaps enhances
the quality Of the milk.
The cultivation Of carrots is not easy work
The land on which they are sown should be
q rich, warm, somewhat sandy loan, well
and deeply plowed and pulverized as finely
as can be done with the best harrow. In
fact, for the best cultivation the land should
be plowed with Michigan plow, aud each
fuTrow raked fne and smooth as fast as
made. In this way the field can be brought
to the best condition for receiving the seed.
This preparation should be made rs early in
the season as possible, as soon as the frost is
entirely out Of the ground and the subsoil
has become freed from any excess Of water.
This condition of the soil will generally oc-
cur from the tenth to the fifteenth of May,
and then is the time for sowing the carrot.
Carrots require great deal Of manure.
The best cultivators use from eight to ten
cords to the acre spread broadcast, plowed
in at the first plowing, eight cords being
about twenty-tour cart loads of forty bushels
each. The manure should be thoroughly de-
composed, the use of green manure causing
tendency in the root to divide and grow
with great Irregularity. Barn-Sard manure
will answer a very good purpose but If kelp
and musse!-bed and ashes can be obtained
they will be found very useful. The ma
nure, whatever it is should be very fine and
thoroughly Incorporated with the soil.
The seed should be sown with reliable
seed sOwer 10 rows about fourteen inches
apart; and the plants should be thnned in
the rows so as to stand about two inches
apart. From the first appearance of the
plant until ii is quite well grown it needs
watering No crop suffers more from weeds
than the carrot and at no time should these
pests be allowed to accumulate or attain any
considerable size. The first hoeing and
wedding will always be difficult job. The
seeds germinate slowly, and the young
plants are so small that great attention is
necessary to bring forward the crop in thriv-
ing condition. Usually an early hoeing with
the wheel hoe, followed by three or four
hoeings with either the wheel or common
hoe, and then weddings with the hand will
carry the crop beyond the danger of weeds
But the work is at all times difficult and re-
quires young and strong backs, nimble
fingers and tough and we'll armed knees 1t
is species Of horizontal agriculture which l
would not urge upon the considerate or
judicious farmer
The carrot on well prepared and suitable
soil yields a large crop. The root has great
power for penetrating the soil, and it has
been known to reach the depth Of two or
three feet when grown on trenched land.
Colonel Timothy Pickering reports crop Of
$50 bushels to the acre, raised in his day and
in his neighborhood. | find reports of 25l
bushels on forty-three and one-half rods Of
land 290 pounds to the square rod and
l03 bushels from one-eighth of an acre. Six
hundred bushels to the acre is evidently a
good crop.
The harvesting of the carrot is compar.
lively easy business. The tops can be cut
from them as they stand in the rows with a
sharp Doe; plow eau be used to turn
them up out of the ground, and with 6ve-
tined manure fork they can be taken from
the loosened earth. They should be har
vested about the twentieth of October, and
in no case should they be exposed to freezing
1t is good plan to pile them in heaps in the
field, cover them with tops aud leave them
for day before carting into the cellar. Sc
much for the carrot George B. Loring, il
Boston Daily Globe.