Review of the Horticultural Register. 237 



ar*5 free from moisture, and the soil moderately dry. With respect to its 

 growing stray and wild, it is admitted it woidd do so, wore no precautionary 

 iueasures taken, but in three or four weeks after plainiiiir on the trenches, 

 it will be necessary to hoe and hand-weed it; on uliicli occasion dress 

 off every stray leaf and stern, gather the remainder in the hand, and pass 

 a shred of matting, or of untwisted hemp round each root, precisely at the 

 junction of the leaves and leaf stalks, not too tight, — but suthci^ntiy so to 

 keep them in a proper upright jwsition, and also ca|)able of admiiting the 

 successive shoots from the centre ; which will strike rapidly, and in a few 

 weeks render it necessary to cut away the orij^'inai shred, anci replace it by 

 one of larger circumference ; and the second shred will subsi^cpienily require 

 slackening, or renewing, to give room for the increasing dimensions of the 

 plants. 



" Thirdly — after having set out the rows, five feet asunder, for a final j)lant- 

 ing or crop, throw out a trench eighteen inches wide and twelve deep, 

 laying the soil high in the centre, and sloping towards the trench, as a con- 

 ductor of rain water to the roots of the plants. Fill the trench thoroughly 

 to the top — that is — twelve to thirteen inches deep with the alore-mentioned 

 compost, taking care to leave it moderately light; — and never tread it down 

 with a heavy foot, if avoidable : — Just within, and on the cen're range of 

 the compost, insert the roots of the plants, with a bail of soil adhering to 

 each, carefully arranging the numerous fibrous roots, and fixing erect with 

 a light pressure at fifteen inches apart in the rows : — this done, give a mode- 

 rate watering with soft water; — and if a leaf flags, or a perceptible check in 

 growth takes place, — say truly the work is bimglingly performed. In a 

 short time the fibres will pom- themselves like a flood into, through, and over 

 the whole mass of compost, extracting the needful aliment for the plants, 

 which being thus co|)iously supplied, shoot forth in proud luxuriance. 



" On close observation, in three or fom* weeks after t'.ie final planting on the 

 trenches, it will be perceived, that many ininute fibres have emerged out 

 from each root, and are skimming on the surface of the compost in quest of 

 additional food ; therefore suffer not the hoe to approach nearer than a foot 

 to each plant, but weed with the hand if needful : and this being performed, 

 cover those young and tender fibres close up to the stem of the plant with 

 about two inches deep of the compost or other light earth, to nourish them 

 and [)rotect them from the too powerful avidity of the Sun's rays; recollect- 

 ing this is the only earthing, or soiling up that is to be applied until the final 

 one lor blanching. 



"The four preceding paragraphs contain the principal rules necessary to be 

 adopted for the production of large Celery, and all directions that have been, 

 or may hereafter be given to produce large and fine Celery weighing twelve 

 pounds and U|)wards each root, merely by the force of tillage in rejteated 

 doses, with the pretendefl advantage of strong soil, and coupled with regular 

 earthings up every week or oftener, are |)nrely fallacious. 



" Slugs, Grubs and Worms are very apt to attack and spoil the appearance 

 of Celery, which ought always to be sent to table clean and spulless as a 

 Lily. To prevent their ajiproach, give a slight sprinkling of wood ashes, or 

 of powdered charcoal from the pits, on each side of the rows or trenches: 

 and by using proper care, it may be produced as clean and peerless as the 

 finest fruit. 



" As regards the most suitable soil, the decidedly best Celery we ever saw 

 taken up, weighed upwards of sixteen pounds, was as clean, well blanched, 

 and s[)otless as the most fastidious epicure could <lesire, — not even a disco- 

 lored, or i)erforated leaf observable in the middle of October ; and was pro- 

 duced on a sand soil with a sub-soil of very open, coarse sand. 



"The tnanagement of early and successional cro|)s — the mode and time of 

 watering — and many other minor and occasional attentions, which particu- 

 lar situations, seasons, and circumstances may and will require to be varied, 

 will readily suggest themselves to practical and attentive men." 



