Part 2

There is another matter concerning our manures which requires attention; if they are too fresh or crude they will be apt, if applied to our long growing varieties, to drive the growth too much into the top of the Carrot, to the loss of the root, giving us tops to our knees with roots about the size of a hoe handle. It is important therefore, when used liberally, that they should be somewhat decomposed--that the mixtures should be composts, as far as the time will allow, and not mere mixtures. To the shorter varieties the crude manure may be applied with a degree of safety. Here let me note a fact that I think is of general application in farming, viz.:--that a style of manuring that will drive tall growing varieties of vegetables nearly all to tops or vine, with dwarf varieties of the same kind will work admirably. The Pea is a very good illustration; to get a good crop of a dwarf variety, manure liberally, but the same quantity applied to the taller sorts would drive them excessively into vine at the expense of the crop.

Don’t make your compost heap on the ground where the crop is to grow, for the result will be no crop where the heap stands. For the same reason it is bad policy to cart out any strong manure to stand on the land in heaps, no matter how small, over winter. There will be nothing lost by spreading the manure over the surface before the ground is frozen. In getting it into the soil, keep it as near the surface as possible without its interfering with the planting of the seed, bearing in mind the nitrogen, that element in manures, about the loss of which by evaporation there is much uncalled for anxiety, tends to work down into the soil. If the manure is coarse it may be applied to the surface in the Fall and be deeply ploughed in, and in the Spring again brought to the surface by ploughing equally deep, having meanwhile received the benefits of frost and moisture.

In applying fertilizers keep them near the surface, scattering them broadcast and raking or harrowing in. It is better not to apply these all at once. Apply about two-thirds at the time of sowing, the remainder when the crop is about one-third grown--following it with the slide hoe, which will tend to work it in just under the surface. In applying all fertilizers in the Spring time, it is well to do so early in the day, as winds are apt to rise as the day advances, which seriously interfere with the economical application and even distribution. Fertilizers tend to hasten the maturity of the crops to which they are applied. There is one condition that has a very important bearing on the cost of Carrots and all roots, viz.:--that both the ground and manure should be as free from all weed seed as possible. For this reason ground recently from the sod, the third year, provided it has been kept under a high state of cultivation, and such manures which from their very nature must be comparatively free from the seed of weeds, such as fish composts, night soil, or barn manure a year old, are to be preferred.

Dr. Voelcker gives the result of 10 analyses of the ashes of the root and 2 of the ashes of the leaves of the Carrot, and from these deduces the following as the number of pounds of mineral matter taken from an acre of land, by 10 tons of roots and 4 tons of tops.

Potash, Soda, Lime, Phosphoric Acid, 116 lbs. 86 lbs. 101 lbs. 31 lbs.

Sulphuric Acid, Chlorine, 34 lbs. 31 lbs.

To those who desire to experiment with mineral manures this table will be interesting as showing the kinds and proportion of each needed. The potash is found in unleached ashes, from two to five pounds to the bushel; or in the German Potash salts; the soda and chlorine in common salt, (chloride of sodium); lime in the common lime of the mason, the Phosphoric acid in the phosphates offered in the markets, and the Sulphuric acid in that directly or in common finely ground plaster known by chemists as Sulphate of Lime.

I shall have occasion to present some very valuable suggestions of the learned Professor, under the head of “The Manure” in my article on Mangolds, to which they more especially apply.

The greatest single item in the cost of any crop is the manure, but this is an exceedingly varying element. Farmers near cities, and particularly if they also reside near the sea-coast, as an off-set for the greater cost of farming-land and expenses of living, have the advantages of a city market and special facilities for collecting manures, at a cost to them, much below the standard value of stable manure. Night soil to almost an unlimited extent can be obtained for the cost of collecting it, while the waste material of the fisheries, Kelp, Rock Weed, Muscle Mud, Glue Waste, Sugar House Waste, and the products of the distilleries, these and other rich fertilizers can be procured at so low a figure, in proportion to their value, that root crops can be raised considerably cheaper than in farming districts not so favored. Many a man can be found in these favored districts who thinks he is making a good business at farming, yet could he but sell the manure he gathers so cheaply, at its market value, barn manure being the standard, he would make money by doing so and folding his arms the rest of the year. The fact is he is really losing money at farming; but through his crops he is selling what cost him but a trifle--at a price, indeed, below its real value, but still so far in advance of cost as to leave a profit. Such a man does wisely in the course he pursues though he makes a mistake in the debtor and creditor side of the account, for it is most decidedly wiser to be at work than idle, though the result makes no difference in the dollars in a man’s pocket.

PREPARING THE BED.

The great object here should be to get the soil thoroughly fine that the small, thread-like fibers, and the roots themselves, may waste the least possible vital power in permeating the earth in search of food, or in pushing downwards. The vitality wasted in this way is just so much taken from growth, and may make the sole difference between a good crop and a poor one. If it is necessary that the first ploughing should be a very deep one, better apply the manure (as previously stated, the finer mechanical condition this is in the better) afterwards. Should the manure be to any degree coarse after spreading, run the brush or wheel harrow over it, one or both. This will also break up the clods and fine up the soil and incorporate the manure with it. If still at all lumpy, follow with a plank drag. Next plow shallow a few furrows, and have men, with wooden-toothed hand rakes, rake at right angles, pulling all coarse stones and lumps of earth and manure into the last furrow made. In brief, proceed to make as fine a seed bed as for onions.

If any one, depending on the apparent fineness of the surface, concludes to dispense with the final raking and let the work of the brush harrow answer, he will be apt to repent it before the season closes; should he try it let him be sure to double the quantity of seed planted in that portion of the land so treated. When the land is loamy and free from stones an implement known as the “Meeker Harrow,” will be found to be a great time-saver in preparing the seed bed; by actual test on my own farm, I find that it will do the work of more than a dozen hands with rakes. If the bed has its first ploughing early in the season, much of the weed seed will germinate before planting time, then an occasional use of the cultivator will destroy many of the pests.

WHEN TO PLANT.

Some of our best farmers advocate planting about the middle of May, others equally successful in root culture claim that the middle of June is the best time. There are arguments for both early and late planting. In New England we usually have the weather sufficiently moist towards the close of May to insure the germination of the seed and protect the plants when they break ground, from “sun-scald.” Those planted as late as the middle of June are more liable to be so affected by the dry weather usual at that period as not to vegetate as well; and should the heat be very great just after they push through the ground, sometimes in a single day nearly the entire crop will disappear by “sun-scald.” But on the other hand, by planting late we about get rid of one weeding, assuming that the ground is stirred by the cultivator occasionally, up to the time of planting. Again, this brings the crop in full vigor in October, the month of all others most favorable for the growth of the root, and the Carrots being dug while the tops are in fair growing condition, keep better than when dug fully ripe. The argument for late planting holds especially good for the Short Horn varieties, as these require a shorter time to mature than the long kinds. If the crop is planted too early, sometimes the roots, having matured, will attempt to push seed shoots; when this is so they will be found woody in their structure, with numberless thread-like roots, while their quality and keeping properties are greatly injured. This crop on rich land is sometimes planted as late as the first week in July, and with great success, should the Fall prove exceptionably mild, yet, as a rule, I would not recommend planting later than the middle of June. If it so happens, from press of work, or the dry weather, the farmer has to plant later than this, then by all means let him confine himself to the earlier varieties.

THE SEED AND THE PLANTING OF IT.

The seed grows with a covering of small, short, stiff hairs, which makes them adhere together; these must be very thoroughly removed before the seed can be relied upon to flow freely from the machine. Much of foreign grown seed reaches this country not properly cleaned. To remove this furze, either thrash the seed with the flail very thoroughly, when the weather is quite cold and dry, or warm the seed slightly and rub it with the hand against the wires of a sieve, of a right degree of fineness to let the hairs fall through. Either winnow or sink in water, to remove all impurities. If sunk, be careful to dry the seed at a very moderate temperature. As Carrot seed vegetates somewhat slowly and the plants are quite small when they first appear, weeds are apt to get the start of them before the rows can be seen with sufficient distinctness to make it safe to use the slide hoe. For this reason some farmers practice soaking the seed in water and keeping it at a temperature that will nearly develop the sprout, before planting. This may be done by soaking the seed from 36 to 48 hours in milk warm, or rather strong manure water, then removing it to where the air is of about the same temperature. Stir, it slightly for a few days, and finally dry it sufficiently to drop freely from the machine by adding plaster, charcoal or dust. Camphor has a wonderful effect in stimulating the vitality of seed, and the addition of a small quantity of it to the manure water would doubtless be of advantage. This process should not be carried so far as to develop the sprout. Should the surface of the ground be very dry when the seed is sown, this soaking process may be fatal, for if the germ is once started it will not live in a dormant state; it must either grow or die: whereas, seed that have not been soaked will vegetate after rains wet the dry surface. Be sure that the seed planter has a good roller attached to it, and not a mere coverer, as this will help confine the moisture and thus materially aid in developing the seed.

QUANTITY OF SEED TO THE ACRE.

Tables vary greatly some advising as high as four pounds to the acre. If the design is to raise small-sized roots for early marketing, possibly this might not be an excess of seed, but to advise so heavy seeding for ordinary field crops, means that much of the seed is poor trash, probably old and worthless, and put in as a make-weight.

Some years ago a party wrote me, offering a variety of garden seed at a very low figure, and stated that it was of his own raising. As it was a kind that I was in the habit of raising, I had the curiosity to write and ask how he could afford to raise it at such a price. He replied that it was of his own growing, but so old as to be good for nothing, and therefore he sold it to seedsmen at a very low figure, to mix with their good seed to help make weight! When four pounds of Carrot seed are advised to the acre, for a field crop, I think that some of this kind of seed must somehow have got into the mixture. With everything favoring, and the farmer by experience having his seed sower under perfect control, rather less than a pound of seed will be sufficient for an acre. The great object to aim at is, while having the plants thick enough, not to have much of any thinning to do, as it costs about as much to thin a crop as it does to weed it, with the drawback that the plants left in the ground are more or less started, and so put back by the thinning. As a general rule I would advise one and one-half pounds of seed to the acre, and this the farmer can reduce in proportion as he is favored by circumstances and advances in experience.

Twelve inches is a sufficient distance between the rows of the two small, early varieties, and fifteen between the rows of all other sorts. With the greatest of care the seed will not come up with mathematical precision. Some advocate leaving a plant to about every inch of row; others, to thin to four inches apart. With the exception of the shorter variety including the Guerande, which are somewhat like Onions in their aptitude to grow to a good size when crowded, pushing out either side of the rows, as a rule I advise thinning to four inches, leaving them thicker near the vacant places.

VARIETIES, AND WHAT KINDS TO GROW.

Foreign catalogues give lists of about two dozen varieties, which differ in earliness, size, color, form, termination of root, characteristic of growing entirely under or partly above ground, and in the size of the core or heart. In foreign catalogues, what we call “Orange,” are known as “Red” Carrots. From a test of these varieties I have thus far found two, viz.: the Guerande and the Chantenay worthy of being added to the kinds already grown to a greater or less extent in the United States. The yellow-fleshed sorts are repudiated in New England by general consent; yet the Yellow Belgian, on a limited trial has proved with me to be an exceptionally good keeper. The Purple or Blood-Red is of a deep purple color, a poor cropper and by no means attractive to the eye. The remaining varieties may be classed as follows:--Early, middling early and late. The first class is made up of the Early Very Short Scarlet, the Early Scarlet Horn and Guerande. The second class of all the half-long or short-horn varieties, and the third, of the long varieties, such as Long Orange, Belgian and Altringham sorts.

In addition to about one-half of these foreign varieties, cultivated more or less generally in this country, there are several kinds catalogued by seedsmen, all of which are but improved strains made by careful selections, through a series of years, from what was originally imported stock. These strains usually bear the name of some person. A brief discussion of the more valuable varieties will now be in order. Here I will lay down three general facts, viz.:--1st, that of the various orange colored varieties, the shorter growing kinds are, as a rule, the darker colored and sweeter flavored. 2d, that the proportion of dark, orange-colored roots in any crop, while it will depend largely on the care that has been used in the selection of seed stock for a series of years, does not turn wholly on this, but soil, season or manure, one or all, have some influence in this direction. 3d, that the fact that more or less of the Carrots tend to push seed shoots the first year, while with the long varieties it may prove that the seed has been allowed to mix with the wild varieties, yet the probability (marked cases excepted) is decidedly the other way; while with the short horn varieties this tendency to push seed shoots the first season, so as to make something of a show when an acre is glanced over, is quite a common characteristic with seed of the very purest strain.

=Early Very Short Scarlet.= (see engraving.)

=Early Short Scarlet Horn.= (see engraving). These two varieties are the shortest grown and are raised at times in forcing beds, for an early market, the former very generally so. They are of a very rich orange color, fine-grained, sweet, and of excellent flavor, heading the list for quality. Their rich color makes them valuable above all other kinds for coloring butter. Though quite short, yet the Early Short Scarlet Horn can be grown to yield a great bulk of roots, from the fact that from the smallness of their tops the roots can be grown very thick, two or three abreast all along the rows. When the small, handy size of this variety is considered in connection with the superior quality, it stands foremost as a table Carrot, and I therefore recommend it in preference to all others for family use.

=Short Horn.= (See engraving.) This variety intermediate between the Early Forcing and Long Orange, with but slight variations in form, is shown under various names, as Intermediate, Nantes, Half Long, James’ Improved, Stump-Rooted, etc. It is characterized by a darker color than the average of the Long Orange, finer grain, and a sweeter and richer flavor. In part from the more solid structure of the Carrot, and in part from its better stowage, thirty-six measured bushels of this variety make a ton, while of the larger varieties forty bushels are required. The best strain of this variety is doubtless the kind known as the “Danvers” Carrot.

=Danvers Carrot.= In the town of Danvers, Mass., the raising of Carrots on an extensive scale has for years been quite a business--the farmers finding a large market in the neighboring cities of Salem, Lynn and Boston. After years of experimenting they settled upon a variety which originated among them (as did the Danvers Onion) known in their locality as the “Danvers Carrot.” It is in form about midway between the Long Orange and Short Horn class, growing very generally with a stump root. The great problem in Carrot growing is to get the greatest bulk with the smallest length of root, and this is what the Danvers’ growers have attained in their Carrot. Under their cultivation they raise from twenty to forty tons to the acre. This Carrot is of a rich, dark orange in color, very smooth and handsome, and from its length, is easier to dig than the Long Orange. It is a first-class Carrot for any soil.

=Guerande or Ox Heart.= This variety is a great favorite with many who raise Carrots for stock. It is short and chunky in build, of a rich orange color, and of excellent quality, and the crop can be hand pulled.