466 VILLA GAEDENING part v 



to use bottom-heat for the crop. If the young plants have been 

 carefully treated and properly hardened, a close frame should do 

 admirably. Place it on a hard bottom, lined with coal-ashes, so as 

 to keep out worms. Ou this place 3 inches of very old manure, 

 pressed down firmly, and on the manure place 2 inches of light 

 rich soil, and in this prick the plants from 3 to 4 inches apart. 

 Very often a temporary place is made for them with boards, with 

 a covering of oiled calico instead of glazed lights. Very good 

 plants have been obtained by this latter plan. Glazed lights, of 

 course, are best ; but the simjDler, more economical plan will yield 

 successful residts. For late use, a third sowing may take place 

 towards the end of March or beginning of April. Very often this 

 sowing is made outdoors, in a warm corner, among light rich soil 

 specially jDrepared. In establishments where Celery must be had 

 as fiir on as possible, this late sowing is very useful ; the plants 

 produced from it do not bolt so early as those sown earlier. I 

 know many people only sow once, but there is an advantage in 

 doing as I have set down here. 



Preparing the Trenches. — It is a good plan to get the 

 trenches ready as early in the season as possible, for then the soil 

 and manure become so nicely blended that the plants sustain less 

 check, start away at once, and grow steadily and continuously. 

 Whatever manure is used should be well decomposed ; but a crop 

 like Celery, which depends so much for quality upon regular treat- 

 ment and the absence of fluctuation, either from forcing manures 

 or any other cause, will always succeed best when the manure for 

 the Celery trenches has been worked into a compost. Assuming 

 that we know at the beginning of autumn how much manure will 

 be required for Celery, late Peas, Onions, and any other crop for 

 which special preparation is made, we commence to form the heap 

 of compost by laying the proportion of manure from the stables and 

 pig-sty and old hotbeds in a heap ; to this is added a part nearly 

 equal in bulk from the heap of decayed vegetable matter, sweepings 

 from the potting shed, some burnt earth and wood-ashes, and some 

 soot and lime. This is all mixed together, and, the manure being 

 rather fresh, it will ferment a little, but not enough to do harm, as 

 the earthy matter arrests and absorbs all manurial gases which 

 might otherwise escape. This will be turned perhaps twice in 

 winter during frosty weather, and in March it will be in excellent 

 condition for putting in the trenches and mixing with the soil. If 

 the trenches have to be made later, near the time of planting, the 

 result will be better than if strong manure were used. The cause 

 of hollow stems and rough coarse produce might often be traced 

 to improper manuring. The size and depth of the trenches are 



