October. 191 2 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



239 



Celery as grown by Messrs. Card and Williams, Pelerboro, Ont. 



(See Adjoininir Article.) 



crop is planted. The fertilizer which 

 has given the best satisfaction is a mix- 

 ture of about equal parts of horse, cow, 

 and pig manure, which has been piled 

 together and well rotted before being 

 applied to the field. 



The early varieties are planted as soon 

 as the soil can be prepared in the spring. 

 The practice followed is to plant the cel- 

 ery in double rows on the flat, no trench- 

 es being dug. The plants are set six 

 inches apart each way, and opposite in 

 the rows, so as to facilitate weeding from 

 either side. The rows are four feet 

 apart. From the time the plants are set 

 out, until they are banked or boarded up 

 for bleaching, the field is given almost 

 daily cultivation. 



FJoards are used for bleaching the 

 earlier varieties. The later varieties are 

 banked up as this affords a greater pro- 

 tection from frosts A glance at the il- 

 lustration on the front cover of this issue 

 of The Canadian Horticulturist will show 

 the method of placing the boards along- 

 side the celery. The boards shown on 

 the far side of the row of celery were 

 each ten inches wide. This celery was 

 planted on June nth, somewhat later 

 than usual, owing to the very wet and 

 backward spring. The photo was taken 

 September gth. when most of this patch 

 had fjeen harvested. 



When the onions are ready for har- 

 vesting, run the cultivator along the row, 

 so as to cut off roots and turn onions 

 loose. With a wooden rake put four or 

 six rows into one. Then they are ready 

 for topping as soon as properly dried. 



For celery we use White Plume, Paris 

 Golden Yellow and Giant Pascal. The 

 two former kinds can be planted on the 

 level, the latter in a shallow trench. It 

 can be left in the ground until the tenth 

 of November, when it can be taken up 

 and packed in the cellar for winter use. 

 — E. G. Cooper, Alberta. 



Seed Potatoes 



Wm. Naismith, Falkcnborg, Ont. 



When the potatoes are thoroughly 

 ripe, about October fifteenth, in bright, 

 sunshiny weather, I run the digger tak- 

 ing every second row, leaving them a 

 short time on the ground, so that the 

 tubers are dry. I sort out the small po- 

 tatoes and bag up the seed and remove 

 to the pit. I use a sand bank with a 

 slight incline to the south. This makes 

 an ideal place, it being always dry. The 

 dimensions of the pit are four feet wide, 

 three feet deep, with sufficient length to 

 hold one hundred bags, leaving six 

 inches on top for ventilation. I use 

 strong cross pieces of wood every six 

 feet, a covering of poles lengthways of 

 the pit overlaid with six inches of irarsh 

 hay, and covering with a foot of sand, 

 leaving a space for ventilation at each 

 end up to November fifteenth, when all 

 is made secure for the winter. .All the 

 material used is found close at hand and 

 costs only the labor. 



I have followed this method of storing 

 for twenty-five years, and never have 

 any loss. The potatoes come out dry, no 

 sprouting, and always ensure a full stand 

 of vigorous plants. I stored and sold in 

 the spring of 191 1, seven himdred bags. 

 I always find a good market and good 

 prices. My average yield is two hundred 

 and twenty bags per acre, and the land 

 is left in fine condition for the succeeding 

 crop, after which if seeded down in regu- 

 lar rotation several crops of excellent hay 

 are grown. 



SELEOTING SEED 



When the tubers are ripe and just be- 

 fore harvesting the crop, I select the best 

 plants by going up one row and doivn 

 the next, selecting for producing proclivi- 

 ties and uniformity in shape and size. 

 Long experience and close observation 

 make this an easy matter, even when the 

 stalks are dead, for they still retain their 

 natural form, and there is a best in every 



row, just as surely as there is a best in 

 every flock and herd. I believe in plant- 

 ing the best and trying to improve upon 

 it. I plant this selected seed the next 

 season on fresh cleared and burned bush 

 land. I again use the seed takan from 

 the new land to plant the main crop the 

 following spring. I have followed this 

 rotation for many years, growing from 

 the top seed or ball. I have carried on 

 experiments for over twenty years, and 

 have succeeded in getting three good var- 

 ieties, namely. Rose of the North, Cana- 

 dian Standard, and a new Empire State 

 not yet sent out, but which may appear 

 in 1912. 



JUDGING POTATOES 



The first consideration is ability to 

 produce bushels to the acre, coupled wjth 

 quality and an even surface. Too many 

 points should not be given for appear- 

 ance, as many of this class are poor pro- 

 ducers, and will not repay the farmer for 

 his care. I refer to what are known as 

 fancy varieties. A Judge to be able to do 

 his work intelligently must have a practi- 

 ■al knowledge of the varieties at present 

 in cultivation, and their adaptability to 

 different latitudes, as some of the most 

 nopular varieties grown in the Niagara 

 Peninsula do not adapt themselves to the 

 Nipissing or Algoma Districts. 



When growing seed of early varieties 

 of potatoes to get the best returns plant 

 June rst, so as to avoid any check, as 

 early varieties require to grow rapidly. 

 This gives them June, July and August 

 in which to mature. Better returns are 

 thus obtained than when they are planted 

 earlier. 



Sprays for Vegetables 



E. M. Straight, Macdonald CoIlcKe, Que. 



We have demonstrated that the vari- 

 ous leaf spots and blights of the tomato 

 may be controlled by bordeaux mixture, 

 but if early ripe fruit is the thing sought 

 it does not pay to spray tomatoes. If 

 the grower is chiefly concerned with the 

 production of large quantities of ripe 

 fruit for the canning factory the use of 

 insecticides, we believe, would abund- 

 antly pay; but if there is no outbreak 

 of beetles we do not recommend spray- 

 ing them. Tomatoes are subject to the 

 attack of the same beetles as the potato. 

 It is seldom, however, that the outbreak 

 is serious on these plants. 



The celery plant is very susceptible tc 

 disease. Early and late blight attack 

 it from the seedling stage, until the har- 

 vest. At some experiment stations, ex- 

 perimenters have not been able to con- 

 trol the malady. We have, and did last 

 year control these diseases effectually by 

 the use of bordeaux commencing at the 

 seedling stage, and continuing with bor- 

 deaux mixture at intervals of ten or 

 twelve days unti' the end of the season. 

 Plants not sprayed were not taken from 

 the field, while the others were of nor- 

 mal size and quality. 



