WITH THE VEGETABLE GROWERS. 



487 



use, as the crop is sometimes badly injured 

 by the intense heat increased by a southern 

 exposure during a hot, dry season. 



GUARD AGAINST DISEASES. 



Fresh stable manure, especially when har- 

 rowed in, tends to produce such diseases as 

 scab, blight, and rot, and should therefore 

 be applied, if possible, ta the crop preced- 

 ing, and enough used to provide for the 

 needs of both crops. The potato thrives 

 best in a cool, moist soil, and, unlike the corn 

 crop, roots quite deeply. It is therefore 

 recommended that stable manure be plowed 

 in for the above-mentioned reasons, and also 

 to prevent the germination of the weed 

 seeds contained in it, thus greatly reducing 

 the cost of hand- cultivation. 



Cultivation is a very important operation, 

 and must be attended to at the proper time 

 if the crop is to be kept clean and thrifty at 

 a minimum cost. The neglect of a few 

 days in one cultivation may mean the differ- 

 ence between profit and loss. Cultivation 

 should begin by stirring the soil with a 

 weeder or smoothing harrow within ne 

 week from time of planting, and the opera- 

 tion repeated every week or ten days as long 

 as the size of plants will admit, the objects 

 sought being to prevent crusting of the sur- 

 face soil and the extermination of weeds Vit- 

 fore they have gained foothold in the soil. 



An Instructive Bulletin. — Some Bac- 

 terial Diseases of Plants, is the name 

 of the bulletin, No. 136, recently issued 

 by Prof. H. C. Harrison and B. Barlow, 

 bacteriologists, of the Agricultural College 

 at Guelph. The subjects treated include 

 Fire blight or twig blight, Soft rot of cauli- 

 flowers, fall turnip, etc., by Prof. Harrison, 

 and Bacteriosis of beans, and A rot of celery, 

 bv Mr. Barlow. The bulletin is well illus- 

 trated, describes the various diseases, and 

 the causes and remedies, as far as they have 

 been discovered to date. 



Storing Celery 



WM. HUNT, ONT. AGRI. COLLEGE, GUELPH. 



A GOOD method of storing a few dozen 

 •heads of celery is to place it in 

 boxes. The boxes should be about 15 to 

 J 8 inches in depth, and of a size convenient 

 to be moved around with comparative ease. 

 The box should be deep enough so that the 

 tops of the celery are at most only an inch 

 or two above the top edge of the box. 



When filling the box with celery first take 

 out one side of the box. Then place the box 

 on a bench or on the ground with the other 

 side of the box, that has not been removed, 

 downward. Start packing the celery with 

 the roots toward the bottom of the box. If 

 there is very little earth attached to the roots 

 place some- earth over each layer of roots, 

 and if the soil is very dry give the soil, not 

 the tops, a slight sprinkle of water. Fill 

 up the box with successive layers of celery 

 until the box is quite full. Then place the 

 side of the box that had been removed on 

 agaiti and nail it down before the box is 

 moved from its position. The box can then 

 be raised to an upright position. Some soil 

 may be required around the box if the plants 

 are not packed fairly firm. Celery packed 

 in this way can be placed in any part of the 

 cellar. Packed in boxes in this way there 

 is less danger of over-heating than if packed 

 early in the season in a warm cellar. N<J 

 lid is required for the box. 



Another advantage in this method for the 

 amateur gardener is that the celery can be 

 kept safely out of doors until real winter 

 weather sets in, if only a few leaves or some 

 straw be placed over it on frosty nights. A 

 few boards should also be placed over the 

 boxes to keep out snow or rain. By pack- 

 ing celery in this v^ay, it can often be keot 

 out of doors under temporary protection 

 until severe weather sets in, avoiding the 

 necessity of taking it into the cellar too 

 er rlv. 



