THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



277 



spade. There is nothing gained by 

 shirking the preparatory work. Plant 

 in this bed in rows across it, the rows 

 one foot apart, the plants six inches 

 apart in the rows. AVater them in, 

 and if the weather is dry, water every 

 evening for a week, and two or three 

 days alter that go over the bed with a 

 hoe and break the surface. This will 

 give them a good start, and when the 

 ground gets hard again, hoe as before, 

 and they will endure drought much 

 better than if the soil is allowed to get 

 indurated and weedy, forthe nightdews 

 will help them, and every shower go 

 direct to their roots. If I have soot to 

 spare, during the summer I take care to 

 give the celery one or two dustings with 

 it, not on the soil merely, but over the 

 foliage as well, and the best time is 

 when the leaves are moist with dew. 

 I think it does something to check the 

 ravages of the fly, and I am certain it 

 does much to fertilize, for the next 

 shower washes it down to the roots, 

 and it carries with it a large amount of 

 amnioniacal gases for direct benefit of 

 the plants. 



And now for the earthing up. This 

 must be done in no haste. If a few 

 heads are wanted very early, they may 

 be earthed up before the rest, when 

 grown to a size such as will be fit 

 for table ; but as earthing checks the 

 growth, it is best to defer it as long as 

 growth proceeds favourably. This is 

 the principal mistake of gardeners in 

 regard to celery ; they earth up too 

 soon and too much, and in the endea- 

 vour to save time and labour, they lose 

 in weight and size, and general excel- 

 lence of the crop. To blanch celery — 

 and that is the only object of earthing 

 twenty-one days are sufficient"; so say 

 that you want to draw for use in three 

 weeks' time, then you must begin to 

 mould up at once ; but to give it more 

 than a month from the first earthing 

 up, is a loss in the substance of the 

 crop. It must be done with care. In- 

 stead of chopping the soil down and 

 patting it against the plants with a 

 spade, use a trowel, and while drawing 

 the earth round the plant with the right 

 hand, hold the leaves together, as low 

 down as possible, so that not a particle 

 of soil can get into the heart. The 

 next earthing may be done by a chop 



down with the spade, but it is best to 

 finish off with the trowel, so as to keep 

 the stems close together, and prevent 

 the entrance of grit between them. 

 Mould it up very little at a time, and 

 as the soil rises along the rows, smooth 

 it off neatly to throw off water, for the 

 plants will want less and less as they 

 complete their growth, and the rains 

 will be sufficient without further water- 

 ing, hi earthing up those planted in 

 beds, use a pair of thin boards as long 

 as the bed is wide, and about nine 

 inches wide. Two persons must ope- 

 rate together, one on each side of the 

 bed, holding the boards on edge be- 

 tween two rows of plants. One of the 

 parties drives a spade or fork down 

 outside each board at his own end, and 

 fills in between them with finely broken 

 soil, about three inches deep. The 

 boards can then be lifted carefully, and 

 removed tothe next two rows of plants, 

 and so on till the earthing is completed. 

 The operation is repeated once a week 

 till the plants are covered within an 

 inch or so of the crown, and then not 

 another particle of earth is to be added. 



It will be seen how convenient it 

 is to protect celery in beds, by means 

 of mats or litter, during frosty wea- 

 ther, compared with that in separate 

 trenches. A mild winter may do no 

 harm to the crop that has been planted 

 on the level, and earthed up above 

 that, but a sharp frost after heavy rain 

 generally causes the heads to rot quite 

 thi'ough, or at least damages them con- 

 siderably, so that before going to table 

 a good deal will have to be cut away. 

 Therefore, let there be some protection 

 made to the piece that is to stand the 

 winter: any rough contrivance of 

 hoops or laths will answer, if so ar- 

 ranged that mats or thatched hurdles 

 can be laid on and removed as required. 

 It is also well to take up the best and 

 handsomest before hard weather, and 

 pack it in a dry shed in sand ready for 

 use ; it will keep good in this way, if 

 safe from frost, for six weeks or more. 



Besides the liability to bolting and 

 stunting, celery has one specific enemy 

 in the shape of the celery-fly, which 

 appears in spring, lays its eggs on the 

 leaves of the celery in June, and again 

 in September, which eggs soon become 

 ravenous grubs, which eat away the 



