Vegetables with Edible Leaves or Stems 115 



directions, if followed out, will do much to conserve the 

 moisture. 



A few days before transplanting, the plants should be 

 hardened off to lessen the shock of transplanting. After 

 having set the plants out, they may be shaded to accustom 

 them gradually to the field. The best device for this is an 

 8- or 10-inch board placed obliquely over the row. The 

 board is secured by stakes, which are driven on the 

 south side of the row, slanting toward the north ; by lean- 

 ing a board against these, the plants will stand in the 

 shade during the hotter part of the day, and be exposed 

 to the sun in the evening and morning. If the plants are 

 exposed to frost, they often run to seed prematurely. 



Celery is cultivated five or six times after setting out, 

 and the earth may be gradually drawn up to the row, 

 keeping the foliage on top of a ridge. In the family garden, 

 this is done with a hoe, but on celery farms special plows 

 are used for this purpose, drawn by a team, and hilling both 

 sides at once. This banking is for the purpose of blanch- 

 ing. Shutting out the light in other ways is just as good 

 as banking or hilling, if it keeps the light out as thoroughly. 

 Another way of blanching or bleaching that is employed 

 extensively is to use boards in place of earth. This method 

 has the advantage of causing less discoloration and decay. 

 Eight- to 12-inch boards are used, according to the variety 

 of celery to be blanched, and laid flat alongside the row 

 on each side with one edge next to the plants ; the outer 

 edge of the boards is raised up against the plants and 

 the lower edge moved out a few inches, the board pressed 

 down to shut out all light from the bottom, and the work of 

 banking is done. If there is danger of the boards falling, 



