324 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
sand. A little sand in a celery stalk makes it unpleasant to eat, no mat- 
matter how choice the celery. 
Now, fellow citizens, I presume you are most interested in the question, 
does it pay to grow celery for the market? I will say that it has paid 
me, on an average. The business is very apt to be overdone, the same as 
any other branch of industry. In such a case, only those who are best 
situated, using all the advantages to be obtained, will make it pay. 
How to grow the plants. First, select the variety of seed you want; soak 
it about three weeks in water, then drain off the water and mix dry earth 
with the seed in order to separate it, and sow it in a hot-bed or place 
prepared for it, being careful not to plant it too thickly. Then sprinkle a 
little fine dirt over the seed and give it a good wetting. Now keep the 
bed moist for two or three weeks until the celery comes up. When large 
enough to handle, transplant, setting it about three inches apart. The 
plants will now, if properly cared for, soon grow large enough to plant in 
the trench or field where it is to be grown. 
Mr. Harris: Did I understand you to say that you soaked 
the seed three weeks before you planted it? 
Mr. Sampson: Yes sir, that is the way that I did. 
A member: How did you bleach it? 
Mr. Sampson: By banking. There are several varieties 
that bleach without banking. But the color does not improve 
the eating qualities. It is simply a matter of opinion. 
Dr. Frisselle: What causes the celery to rust? 
Mr. Sampson: The heat, largely. It rusts more in hot 
weather, and as the weather becomes cooler the rust is less 
noticeable. 
Prof. Green: What theory do you work on in banking? 
Mr. Sampson: Well, those who have studied celery raising 
know that it must be banked in order to make a nice color and 
juicy celery. This is done by pressing the earth up around 
the stalks. 
Mr. Harris: Do you wet it? 
Mr. Sampson: The earth itself contains sufficient moisture. 
You don’t want it wet when you bank it. That would injure the 
celery by causing the dirt to stick to it. For an early celery, 
I like the Golden Heart celery. It is not quite so hardy for 
winter keeping, but it will bleach much quicker. The Craw- 
ford, during the hot weather, has a rather pungent flavor that 
is pretty hard to get rid of. Still, for many reasons, I consider 
the Half Dwarf Crawford a superior variety. 
Prof. Green: Have you ever tried bleaching with straw and 
boards? 
Mr. Sampson: I never tried straw except one season when 
the rows were planted a little close together. I then used hay 
Tae? ee 
