MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 41 
pots the plants will be of good size when planting time 
arrives. House-grown poe are usually better able to estab- 
lish themselves out of doors in the spring than are the 
plants grown: from seed sown directly in the ground out 
of doors. If a box about two feet square and three to four 
inches deep is first filled with about an inch of gravel or 
coarse stone, and this covered with soil, an ideal place in 
which to start annuals will be provided. The surface of 
the soil should be made firm by pressing it with a flat piece 
of board. On this surface the seed is sown—not too thickly 
—and then covered with sand or some very light soil. When 
the seed has germinated, the small plants should be trans- 
planted into another box, sufficient distance being allowed 
between them for the healthy development of the seedlings. 
St. Louis soil contains so much clay that when seeds are 
sown in the open it is difficult for the very young plantlets 
to penetrate the crust made by the action of rain and sun. 
For this reason many failures are experienced with annuals, 
the majority of which may be prevented by growing the 
seedlings indoors in seed flats. 
CELERY GROWING IN ST. LOUIS 
Celery is a garden product good only while perfectly fresh. 
Its flavor and crispness are soon lost after the plants are 
removed from the conditions surrounding their growth. For 
the last few years celery has been grown at the Garden 
which, because of its flavor and tenderness, has caused con- 
siderable comment. Since it is possible to grow good celery 
-on a small scale and with but little effort, it has seemed well 
to aoe a little space in the BuLLETIN to a discussion of its 
culture. 
In selecting celery seed it must be remembered that there 
are both early and late varieties. The varieties known as 
White Plume, Golden Self Blanching, and Golden Heart 
may be classed as early, while such varieties as White Queen 
and: Giant Pascal should be selected for winter use. All of 
these are recommended for trial in St. Louis. 
Seed should usually be sown about the last of March or 
during the first two weeks of April. They may be started 
in a cold frame, or sown in the same drills with radishes or 
onions in the open ground. About the time the celery plants 
need more room, the early crop of radishes or onions can be 
removed, thus saving space in the garden and causing the 
same ground to serve a double purpose. Seed should be 
thinly scattered in the drills, or on the seed bed, if in a cold 
