78 



THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES 



plants, to make sure of their quality and to save ex- 

 posure in transportation. The plant is very hardy, and 

 can stand outdoors very late. Celery is invariably 

 blanched, but the blanching is very differently done, ac- 

 cording to the season and to the grower's equipment 



Fig. 39. Celery seedlings. Natural size. 



and space. Seed should always be of the very best; 

 American -grown seed sometimes gives pithy stalks. 

 Varieties are many, and classify chiefly as to height, 

 color (red tint), and "self-blanching" properties; there 

 is also a Soup Celery, grown entirely for seasoning. 

 Insects are seldom troublesome, diseases occasionally so. 

 Soil should be deep, rich, moist, and in good tilth. 

 Work in manure (ten or fifteen tons per acre) with 

 high-grade commercial fertilizer (six to eight hundred 

 pounds per acre). Commercially, Celery is often grown 

 on bottom-lands, where moisture is certain, and the 

 plants grow very large ; but upland-grown Celery is finer 



