FACTS FOR FARMERS.

Waikato Times, 7 January 1873, Page 3

FACTS FOR FARMERS.

f A CROP OP CARROTS. etpens* per acre of raising carrots will depend upon thod followed while the plants are small and weal. i»t of preparing the ground, manuring, sowing the Si* & x fict everything up to the Umo when cultivation is W reg *, oan bo made out befoiehand by any practical * farmer. The uncertain part of the job begins with the cultirktion, weeding, and thinning. With fresh teed and favourable weather, carrots will come up in t«n 4*J* from the timo of sowing Wiien the plants first appear fc\* « are very weak, and a little soil falling on them in hoeing ill injure them seriously For two or three weeks from the vime the plants come through the surface, th» growth is r©ry tardy It is while the plants are in t'ns weak condition that the weeds usually are allowed to get ahead, and once they gain headway it would seen almost impossible to ?et the ground clean and stop expense. The bosl and only true course to follow in raising carrots is to begin disturbing the soil between the rows, first as soon a-Ia -I the row can be made out, before the weeds have started Starting early in tins way ono man will do more work and do it much better than four men two weeks later, when the weeds are a halt inch high Nothing bhould bo allowed to interfere with thu early culture, for carrots are ono of the crops that will not do to neglect at this stage of growth. With potatoes or beets, ten days in the time of the first, cultivation will make but little difference; but with carrots it will often make an extra cost per acre, and this is not all, fjr w'len the weeds gam headway not only is the expense of weeding gr.ater, but the yiold of carrots will be lessened in proportion, io that a fair estimate of the loss cannot always be armed at Unless the rows aro very wide apart the first and second thinning of the soil must be done with hand hoes. Even when tWe rows are far enough a^art to allow a horso to pass j between the rows the plants aie -o weak thatjthe horse tool j cannot be run closo without danger of covering the carrots. Piut where there are no weeds and the soil is in fine tilth, three or four men in a. day will go over and hoe one to two acros of carrots, the rows two feet apart. Tins should be repeated in two weeks, and sooner if necessary, just •having the surface close up to the rows. By this time the rough leaf will bo formed, and the tops from thorn will gain •trength rapidly. If the weeds are kept under until tho tops give shade enough in the line of the row, tho worst part is over, and fro u until cultivat on stops h>rje tools may be used to advantage, and be run as often as necosaary to keep the surface clean. v To favour the tops when young, and give a chaneo for ' •tirnns? up the <oil when tbe carrots first come through fie ground, the following system will ba found a good one. When the ground is ma 1c mellow by ploughing, harrowing, <te , then the piece is ridged by throwing two furrows together, so that the tops of tho ridges are abjut two feet apart. The stones and har Ilu u,)s or soil are raked off, an I then the seed sown by a machine, using six pounds to tho aero With fresh see lun I the quantity na ned, tho plants did not come even II ivin^ the plants in ridges in hoeing, no lojso soil will fall over on the voui » carrots as will often happen when the seed is sown on th» leral. An>tier advantage is t'lat t'lo horse to>l can lie uso I w t nut injury much •ooner, and by this alone more is saved than tho expense of ridging.