CARROTS. Have you seen the fields and roadsides white in late summer with large spreading weeds that make you think of lace parasols? You perhaps know them by the name of Queen Anne's lace, but they are really the wild form of the carrot—a weed which is cordially hated by farmers. If you plant the seed of this wild carrot in rich garden soil, its white root will become more fleshy, and in a few generations it will resemble that of the plant we eat.
Carrots have been cultivated since very ancient times. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Hollanders introduced them to England, where they grew rapidly into esteem. Indeed, we are told that in the time of James the First ladies adorned their headdresses with the feathery leaves. Carrots are grown everywhere in the United States, both com mercially and in the home garden.
Carrots differ widely in the shape and color of their roots. White carrots are grown chiefly•for cattle, and red, orange, or yellow for table use. There are early, medium, and late varieties, and, like potatoes, they are found in our markets the year round. Table varieties may be sown as soon as the weather is settled in spring. Stock carrots mature late, growing best during the cool weather of the fall. They require a loose soil that will allow the roots to expand, preferably a rich sandy loam.
The carrots belong to the parsley family, as you might guess from the resemblance. Scientific name, Daucus carota.