PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 233 



ten inches in circumference ; clingstones, and Mr. Ridgely says 

 excellent. These samples, however, did not warrant that appella- 

 tion. Their flavor had evidently been impaired by some substance 

 that had been in contact with them. Mr. Chaml)ers, the secretary 

 of the clul), stated that they had been packed in old newspapers. 

 Mr. Meeker said that petroleum was used in printers' ink, and 

 that alone was sufScient to ruin the flavor of any delicate fruit. 

 From this little fact, those who pack fruit for transportation may 

 learn a useful lesson. Probably the best packing for peaches is 

 peaches leaves. Any clean, sweet forest leaves or clean straw- 

 would be better than old newspaper. Eice hulls make one of the 

 cleanest substances in which fruit can l)e packed. They have no 

 odor nor tendency to mold. For very delicate fruit it would bo 

 necessary first to wrap each specimen in clean tissue paper. 



How TO Grow Celery. 



Mr. Aaron Wright, Salem, N. J., asks : "Will the club please 

 give some information in regard to the cultivation of celery — the 

 soil best adapted to its growth, the best fertilizer to be used, and 

 the probable and possible yield per acre ?" 



The Chairman called upon Mr. P. T. Quinn to ans^ver these 

 questions. 



Mr. P. T. Quinn. — It makes but little diflerence w^hether the 

 soil is claj^ey loam or sandy loam ; it will grow in pretty stifl' 

 clay. There are two requisites, however, ihat cannot be dispensed 

 with. The ground must be extremely rich, and deeply and finely 

 cultivated. I WM)uld not recommend using an excessive quantity 

 of manure with the celerj'' crop, but I care not how much has been 

 used with the preceding one. Around New York a celery crop 

 follows early cabbage, early peas, or early potatoes. Then the 

 ground being deeply and finely pulverized, it is manured with 

 compost or some special manure, such as guano, superphosphate, 

 flour of bone, etc. A gardener does not think he gets a paying 

 crop unless he can make his celery plants grow two and a half feet 

 high. The seed is sown early in spring ; indeed it is one of the 

 first sown in open ground. It is a common practice when the 

 plants are a few inches high to cut ofl" the tops, to make them grow 

 more stocky. They are not ready to set out until June and July. 

 They are then planted in rows three to four feet apart three and 

 a half or four inches between plants. The trench system of plant- 

 ing is entirely abolished. When the plant have grown fourteen 



