560 GARDEN MANAGEMENT. 



it to the last in the row. When the moulding is finished, he removes the line. 

 By this means he earths-up without injuring the plants. 



1748. Mr. Cuthill performs the operation entirely with the spade, — no hand- 

 earthing is employed. Parallel lines are stretched on each side of the row, 

 and IS inches from the plant, and the mould is cut out of the alleys to form 

 the blanching ridge, the whole being effected at three different times, and it 

 is not attempted until the plants are IS inches high. 



1749. In earthing-up in the broad or Scotch beds, ''the plants," says 

 ]\lr. Mcintosh, •' are disencumbered of all side-shoots and suckers; two 

 pieces of 9-inch deal are laid one on each side 01 the plants, inclining to 

 each other at the top, and kept in their place by a triangular piece of board 

 or wedge, and tied together, while a man at each side breaks up the soil 

 finel}', and throws it between the boards as high as it is intended to be carried, 

 which is an average of sis inches. The boards are then lifted gently, and the 

 soil falls in between the plants." 



1750. Mr. Robert Fish, who has published an excellent monograph on celery 

 cultivation, adopts the tying-up system previous to earthing. He recommends 

 us "not to earth-up for complete blanching more than three weeks or a 

 month at furthest before the plants are required for use, and let this earthing- 

 up be done at once ; or, at furthest, not more than twice for early crops. With 

 late winter celerj", a similar rule holds as to tying up ; but, of course, they 

 should be finally earthed-up by the beginning of November." He recom- 

 mends coal-ashes to be applied in order to keep off vermin. " For single rows 

 and beds alike, I use," he says, "boards placed fully close to the plants 

 longitudinally, or across, as the case may be, placing a few semicircular pieces 

 of zinc, two to each plant as it stands in the row. Between the boards and 

 the plant, and the zinc and the plant, the ashes are trundled in, and the earth 

 banked up over it in the usual way, and firmly pressed as the boards are with- 

 drawn. By this mode a cone of ashes suiTounds each plant, and repels, for 

 a time at least, worms and slugs from eating and disfiguring the stems. " 



1751. " Notwithstanding my use of ashes, I find the plants suffering from 

 the foliage damping off after changes of temperature and heavy saturating rains. 

 The best remedy is to use a lighter material than even a cone of ashes for banking" 

 up." This Mr. Fish found in a rough mixture of coarse hay, leaves, and grass, 

 with which he entirely covered the celery-beds from 6 to 15 inches thick, 

 according to the temperature, — to make it too thick might produce heating ; 

 the plants for the winter crops being previously earthed-up fully halfway, 

 with a thick dusting of coal-ashes and soot on the top. Whether in beds or 

 rows, by keeping a cone-like centre, the surface will soon be consolidated so 

 as to throw off rains, while the air freely penetrates the loose mass, and frost is 

 excluded by extra covering in severe weather; By this means the celery pre- 

 serves all its pleasant crispness. 



1752. In lifting celery "always beginat one end of a row," says Mr. Mcintosh, 

 "taking the plants up by the roots, and carefully avoid bruising the stems or 

 breaking the leaves. Cut the roots off, and bury them in the trench, but 



