lter of mats or old lights
until the plant has made a good start, but it is not often the plant
suffers in any serious degree from spring frosts, as the seed will not
germinate until the soil acquires a safe temperature. All the early
crops of Carrot can be grown on a prepared soil, or a light sandy loam,
free from recent manure. The drills may be spaced from six to nine
inches apart.

==For the main crops== double digging should be practised, and if the
staple is poor a dressing of half-rotten dung may be put in with the
bottom spit. But a general manuring as for a surface-rooting crop is not
to be thought of, the sure effect being to cause the roots to fork and
fang most injuriously. It is sound practice to select for Carrots a deep
soil that was heavily manured the year before, and to prepare this by
double digging without manure in the autumn or winter, so as to have the
ground well pulverised by the time the seed is sown. Then dig it over
one spit deep, break the lumps, and make seed-beds four feet wide. Sow
in April and onwards in drills, mixing the seed with dry earth, the
distance between rows to be eight to twelve inches according to the
sort; cover the seed with a sprinkling of fine earth and finish the bed
neatly. As soon as possible thin the crop, but not to the full distance
in the first instance. The final spacing for main crops may be from six
to nine inches, determined by the variety. By a little management it
will be an easy matter during showery weather to draw delicate young
Carrots for the final thinning, and these will admirably succeed the
latest of the sowings in frames and warm borders.

==Late Crops.==--Sowings of early varieties made in July will give
delicate little roots during the autumn and winter. The rows may be
placed nine inches apart, and it is essential to thin the plants early
to about three inches apart in the rows. In the event of very severe
weather protect with dry litter. For providing young Carrots throughout
the winter it is also an excellent plan to broadcast seed thinly. When
grown in this way the plants afford each other protection, and the roots
may be drawn immediately they are large enough.

In July the culture of the smaller sorts may also be undertaken in
frames, but hot-beds may be dispensed with, and lights will not be
wanted until there is a crop needing protection, when the lights may be
put on, or the frames may be covered with shutters or mats.

==Storing.==-