the winter, a row of early York and a row of sugar-loaf may be planted alternately. The early York will come first, and you will of course cut every alternate row, and then the plants which are to be put in in the summer will go in the intervals. As the sugar-loaves are afterwards cut away, you may sow Swedish turnips in their place, the ground being first dug and manured.

Endeavour to plant in rainy weather. The distance of planting must in some measure depend upon the strength of the soil, and the size of the variety planted; but it should always be such, as that the ground between them may be dug and kept clean. When the larger kinds are planted, as the Drumhead, &c., two feet between the rows, and eighteen inches between each plant, will be required; while for York and the smaller kinds, eighteen inches between the rows, and one foot or fifteen inches between each plant, will be sufficient.

Cabbages are never eaten on the ground, but are carted off, and given fresh every day. They are relished by all feeding animals, and are not only highly convenient as a substitute for turnips, but also afford an excellent variety and change of food. Cabbages are very nutritious when used with hay, either for stall-feeding or for the dairy. Pigs prefer them to turnips, and they are highly useful for rearing calves.

The practice of feeding milch-cows with boiled cabbages, is strongly recommended. Prepared in this way they afford a nourishing food for cows, and produce an abundance of good milk. Cabbages form excellent food for pigs, by cutting them up with buttermilk or broth, and leaving them for a few days to sour and ferment. This mess is highly relished by the pigs, and is very nutritious.

To save cabbage seed, select a few of the finest specimens, and plant them by themselves, at a distance from other plants of the cabbage tribe; for bees carry the farina from plant to plant, when in blossom, and will thus adulterate the seed, unless care be taken to prevent it, by keeping the seed-plants at a safe distance from all others.

THE CARROT.

The Carrot, requires a deep loose soil. Large crops are often raised on peaty land, but the best soil for carrots is a sandy loam. By whatever means the land is prepared, whether with the spade or the plough, it must be deeply and effectively stirred, to a depth of from twelve to eighteen inches, and it must be rendered perfectly loose and friable, and all the root-weeds must be carefully eradicated. Fine crops of carrots have been obtained on poor soils, by trench-digging to the depth of twenty inches. They succeed well after potatoes or turnips, and this place in the rotation of crops is often chosen for them.

Three

When the land is prepared by the plough, repeated deep-ploughing is necessary; for if the ground be not opened and pulverized to a good depth, the roots will become forked, and send off side-shoots in quest of the nourishment which they fail to obtain below. The deep tillage required, may be accomplished by a trenching-plough following the common one, or by the common one alone, with a good strong team. ploughings are mostly found sufficient, where the land has been previously in tillage, but more may in some cases be necessary. The first ploughing should be made to the depth of twelve inches, about the beginning of October; and towards the middle of February, the ground should be turned over a second time to nearly the same depth. In March a third ploughing may be given, in order to the putting in of the seed, and this may be lighter than either of the former ploughings. The Norfolk and Suffolk farmers turn in their manure at this ploughing.

Carrots may be sown in drills, the seed being deposited on the top, in the same manner as turnips; or they may be sown flat, in rows, without being raised on drills; or else they may be sown broadcast. When sown in drills, either flat or raised, they admit of hoeing and cleaning, and constitute a fallow crop, like turnips; but the broadcast system is much practised in

Suffolk, where large crops are obtained; and the same method is used in the Netherlands, where the carrot is highly valued, and extensively cultivated.

When sown in rows, shallow furrows are made at the distance of twelve to fifteen inches, from centre to centre, and in these furrows the seed is sown. This may be done by a machine, or by the hand; in which case mix the seeds with a little dry sand, and rub them in the hand to make them separate. When the seed is thus sown, cover it in with a slight harrowing.

Carrot seed is generally sown about the middle or latter end of March, but should on no account be later than the beginning of April. Two to three pounds of seed for drill, and five to six pounds for broadcast, are generally sufficient for an acre. The white, or Belgian carrot is said to be the most prolific, and in some instances to yield as much as thirty tons per acre, and it is equal in all respects to the red for cattle.

Carrots should be taken up with a three-prong fork, like potatoes, about the beginning of November, in dry weather; and the leaves should be cut off close to the root, and given to the pigs or the horses. The roots may then be put into narrow oblong heaps, the tails and heads being packed together, and the whole covered with straw. If taken up when dry, carrots will keep well in these heaps, without any other precaution than defending them from frost. Carrots may be given to every species of stock, and form in all cases a palatable and nutritious food, either in their raw state, or when steamed or boiled.

When given to cows, carrots are found in an eminent degree to give colour and flavour to butter, and whenever this is an object, no species of green-feeding is better for the dairy. To horses they may be given with cut straw or hay; and thus given, they will sustain horses on hard work, and materially improve their wind. They are much used in all veterinary establishments, and are strongly recommended for the stable, by persons best conversant with the management of horses.

THE PARSNIP.

The Parsnip, so closely resembles the carrot in its culture and uses, that in describing the treatment of the one, little is left to be said in reference to the other.(See last article.)

The parsnip, like the carrot, requires a light rich soil, deeply ploughed or trenched, and well manured. The time of sowing, is in February or March. The quantity of seed, and mode of cultivation, are the same as the carrot. The use is also much the same. The parsnip is, however, stated to be superior to the carrot for fattening cattle, affording meat of the finest quality; and it is much used for that purpose in France, and in Jersey and Guernsey.

The parsnip will withstand frost better than the carrot; and if the soil be dry, may be allowed to remain in the ground during the winter; but it is recommended to take up a portion when the leaves begin to decay, and store them for use. The remainder may be taken up in February, and if preserved in dry sand, they will keep till April or May.

THE POTATO.

The Potato, is originally a native of South America, whence it was brought to Europe by the Spaniards, in the latter part of the sixteenth century: but it was unknown in the British Islands till introduced by Sir Walter Raleigh, from Virginia, in 1584; and from a few roots grown in his garden at Youghal, all the potatoes now cultivated in the United Kingdom are believed to have sprung.

Potatoes cannot be planted too early, if the danger of frost be over, and they thrive in almost any soil, when properly cultivated; but they must not be planted too close, and much will depend upon their being kept clean from weeds, and upon the surface being pulver

ized by repeated hoeing. A heavy crop must not be looked for, if set nearer than ten inches apart, and if the roots have not a good covering of loose earth to work in.

It is necessary to change the seed frequently, and it is observed, that potatoes from cold wet land, answer best as seed on the lighter and finer soils. Indeed it may be said that the same rule holds good in grain, and produce of every kind. The seed should be changed every year, or every second year at farthest; and if your soil be light, purchase seed that has grown on the strongest land, and the contrary if the soil be heavy.

The potato may be grown on the same land for several years, but it is always most luxuriant in a new soil. In England and Scotland, a crop of oats is generally taken before planting potatoes, while in Ireland they are most commonly planted on the lea, in what are called "lazy-beds," a system which the best cultivators condemn, except it be on wet, boggy, moorland soils. Potatoes require a good supply of manure to ensure a good crop, and return very little to the soil.

For seed, cut off the crown of the best-formed potatoes, by which you will have the earliest and best sets, and the root end is the best to eat. The set should not be less than a quarter part of a well-sized potatoe; and do not choose for seed, potatoes which are too small for eating, as is sometimes done. The seed should not be cut until it is wanted for planting, and when you cut the seed, riddle a little slaked lime or ashes over the sets, which will stop their bleeding, and help to strengthen their growth. When planted, the sets should be laid in the ground with the eye uppermost. On wet boggy land, however, whole potatoes are found to be the safest for seed, and the smaller roots may be selected for this purpose, but not the smallest, or the very small.

The season for planting potatoes, depends on the state of the weather and the soil: if these are favourable, you may plant from the beginning of April, to the middle of May; but late crops are never so abundant or so good as early ones. Ground which has been recently limed, will, with the addition of a little dung, produce