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STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



CULTIVATION. 



Celery must be kept coutinuonsly growing if stalks of high quality are 

 desired. Although an excessive feeder, demanding plenty of plant food 

 and moisture, the plant has a very shallow root system. Therefore, con- 

 stant but shallow cultivation is absolutely required to produce good 

 crops. As soon as the plants are set in the fields, the rows should be 

 cultivated, being especially careful not to throw any soil over the hearts 

 of the plants. Hand hoeing may be necessary between the plants. Cul- 

 tivation must be then given after every rain and as often otherwise as it 

 is necessary to maintain a fine dust mulch over the soil. This will i)re- 

 vent the moisture of the soil from passing off into the air and in addi- 

 tion to keeping the roots well supplied with water, it will prevent the 



Fig. 8. — Cultivating celery at Kalamazoo, where close planting is practiced. 



roots from working deeper into the soil where the supply of air is not 

 so plentiful and the production of plant food not so rapid. Constant cul- 

 tivation induces a larger and better quality of growth by preserving the 

 soil moisture and keeping the roots near the surface where the plant food 

 is liberated more rapidly. 



As the surface of the soil in cultivating, should not be thrown up in 

 ridges but kept as smooth and fine as possible, a small toothed cultivator 

 should be used in preference to the larger shovel tooth types. 



About the Kalamazoo section, the crop is planted in rows too close 

 to permit hor.se cultivation and the fields ai-e worked Avith hand culti- 

 vators. These are especially desirable for cultivating the crop as they 

 I)ermit stirring the soil very close to the plant without danger of injury 

 by deep cultivation. 



