May 17, 1913 



HOETICULTUEE 



739 



OUTDOOR VEGETABLES AND FRUIT 



CONDUCTED BY 



f/^4^7i:. At^^^^c^ 



Questions by our readers In line wltb any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Ur. Jenkins. Sucb communications sbonld InTarlably be addressed to tbe ofBce of HORTICULTURE. - 



Early Celery 



The early celery should be planted out in its jjerma- 

 nent quarters now. Trenches containing a single or 

 double row is the method most commonly practiced, but 

 the writer prefers a well-enriched frame for this crop, 

 believing that the same arguments as were set forth in 

 a. previous issue in regard to growing lettuce in frames 

 applies likewise to the early crop of celery. The plants 

 will make a better growth with less liability to check in 

 this way than any other. Convenience of water and ease 

 for shading when transplanted are great factors. 



Late Celery 



Sow seed now for the winter crop and sow it in fiats 

 ■or pans with the idea of transplanting once or twice be- 

 fore the final planting. The celery plant unless trans- 

 planted early tends to make a long root which is not 

 •conducive to a good plant later. The transplanting 

 ■causes it to make those numerous small roots or rootlets 

 which every grower so much likes to see and which cling 

 to the small soil particles so tenaciously. The best soil 

 for pricking out celery is one containing an admixture 

 ■of leaves or old mushroom-bed manure. 



Pithy Stems in Celery 



Pithiness is a cause of great annoyance in celery some- 

 times and is generally attributed to overfeeding, espe- 

 •cially overfeeding with nitrogenous manures. My ex- 

 perience points rather to poor grades of seed as being 

 i:he cause. Hence the necessity of buying seed from 

 reliable sources. I have grown two stocks of seed of the 

 same variety side by side and fed them Just alike and 

 in one lot found a lot of pithy plants while there were 

 «carcely any in the other lot. 



Varieties of Celery 



The self-blanching kinds such as White Plume and 

 Golden Self-Blanching are the best for summer use, but 

 for keeping in winter the Boston Market, Winter Queen, 

 Giant Pascal and Fin de Siecle are among the best ; in 

 fact we know of no better keeper or variety with finer 

 flavor than Fin de Siecle. 



Celeriac 



Celeriac or turnip-rooted celery should be sown at 

 once if not already sown, as it requires quite a long 

 season to develop. 



Corn 



Sweet corn is decidedly a tropical plant that turns 

 yellow and stunted with the least breath of frost, there- 

 fore as a general thing it does not pay to sow outside 

 before the middle of May, but our climate is such a 

 fickle thing that we can never tell just what is going to 

 happen, and as we have all got to take chances now and 

 then it is well to take a chance on the corn and get some 

 in at once, because should it turn wet and cold enough 

 to rot this lot we can yet plant some more. Sow some of 

 the early kinds and some of the mid-season varieties and 

 be sure your ground is well supplied with phosphate and 

 potash, bone meal for the former and wood ashes for 

 the latter if applied at this season. 



Swiss Chard, Okra, Kohl Rabi and Florence Fennel 



All these may be sown now in drills a foot to eighteen 

 inches apart, to be thinned out later to their proper dis- 

 tances apart in the rows. 



Chicory 



This is a splendid vegetable for a winter salad and 

 should be sown now in deep rich soil. Later sowings 

 would make fair plants but it pays to gi'ow good big 

 crowns as the after product is so much finer. Sow in 

 drills a foot apart and thin out to six inches in the rows. 



Succession Sowing 



Carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, (sow also some of the 

 New Zealand spinach now), peas, radish, cauliflower and 

 turnips should all be sown again to keep up supplies. 



Rhubarb — Sea Kale 



Here are two of the finest winter-forcing vegetables 

 grown and while there are always good roots for sale by 

 the seed houses for forcing purposes, yet most gardeners 

 will get better results from stock grown at home and 

 seed of these two should be sown at once in drills. Of 

 course it will take at least two years to grow roots to a 

 size for forcing, but if a start be once made, then by 

 sowing every year the stock of roots will always be on 

 hand. Sea kale is something like horse-radish in that 

 if it once takes possession of a piece of ground it is 

 rather hard to eradicate, as every little bit of a root will 

 grow and make a plant. So this should be borne in 

 mind and a place selected to grow them where they will 

 not nltimately become a pest. 



Order Your Decoration Day Flowers and Supplies Early. 



Get Your Young Stock for Growing on For Next Season. 

 Get These and Your Choice Seeds and Roots From the 



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