DO CULTIVATION OF CELERY. 



enougii tliey were pricked out in garden soil, rich in vegetable 

 matter, under hand-glasses. The trenches were prepared in the 

 usual manner in the first week in June, by excavating them nine 

 inches deep, and digging in a good dressing of the spent dung of 

 an old mushroom bed. The plants were of course sti'ong when 

 they were planted out, and each was removed to the trench with 

 a good ball of earth adhering to the roots, so tliat (afterwards 

 receiving a copious watering) they sustained little or no ciieck. 

 In eartliing celery I generally endeavour to steer between the 

 two extremes of frequently earthing, and earthing only when 

 the plants are full grown, believing tiiat a little earth after the 

 plants are fully established in the trenches, say a month after 

 planting, promotes the rapid growtli of the plants, more especially 

 if they receive a good soaking of weak liquid manure or soot- 

 water a day or two before they are earthed. Soot-water is an 

 excellent manure for celery ; and where worms and other insects 

 are troublesome, a little dry soot dashed along the rows will be 

 found a preventive of their ravages. The kitchen garden here 

 being upon a boggy subsoil, and below the level of the river 

 Dart, which passes through the grounds, I do not find it neces- 

 sary to water the plants more than once or twice after they are 

 planted out ; but in more elevated situations it is almost impos- 

 sible to give too much water, always, however, preferring to give 

 a thorongli .'^caking once every fortnight rather than daily drib- 

 blings, which in my opinion do more harm tlian good. Were I 

 so disposed, I iiave no doubt I could grow this celery double the 

 size of that sent ; and to effect tiiis I should prepare the plants 

 as before directed, excavate the trenches eighteen inches deep 

 and tlie same in widtli, and fill them with a compost consisting of 

 good turfy loam, peat, and leaf-mould, or thoroughly decomposed 

 cow-dung, in about equal quantities. Very rieli dung is not good 

 for celery, and strong manure- water should also be avoided. To 

 grow large celery, it would be necessary to place the plants 

 eighteen inches apart in tlie row, and the ground should be kept 

 constantly stirred about the plants, taking great care, however, 

 to prevent the soil getting into the hearts of the plants during 

 the operations. In a late number of the ' Journal of tlie Horti- 

 cultural vSociety ' I perceive Mr. Errington attributes the coarse 

 and bad quality of the large celery grown for market to the 

 luxuriance of its growtli. Here I venture to assert he is wrong. 

 The bad quality of the celery is attributable to the bad kinds 

 grown, as I am quite sure no person could grow this kind of 

 celery, which has been named CoWs Superb Red, so as to 

 make it either pipy or stringy or inferior in flavoiu*. Late 

 earthing has more to do with making celery stringy than any- 

 thing else, as it is quite certain if the leaves of celery are exposed 



