CELERY 



188 



CELOSIA 



space of ground, and the heads are quite as fine as in 

 the single-trench system. It is also handy for protec- 

 tion in winter, either with hoops and mats or litter. 



The trench being dug out four and a half feet wide, 

 allows room for six plants across it, at six inches apart 

 from plant to plant, leaving three inches' space from the 

 outside of the trench. 



Frost. At the appearance of very severe weather 

 setting in at any time during the winter months, three or 

 four dozen heads of the celery may be taken up without 

 cutting away any part of them, and laid in dry earth, 

 sand, or sifted coal-ashes, so as to be handy for imme- 

 diate use. 



Manuring. In the seed-bed, when pricked out, and 

 in the bed for final growth, too much of the richest 

 manure cannot be applied. Upon this, and upon the 

 roots being uninjured at each removal, depend the fine- 

 ness and excellence of the celery ; any check to its growth 

 is never recovered, but renders it dwarf and stringy. 

 Liquid-manure should be given to it frequently. 



To save Seed. Some plants must be left where grown ; 

 or, in February or March, some may be carefully taken 

 up, and, after the outside leaves are cut off, and all 

 laterals removed, planted in a moist soil a foot apart. 

 Those which are most solid, and of a middling size, are 

 to be selected. When they branch for seed, they must 

 be tied early to a stake, to preserve them from the 

 violence of winds. The flower appears in June, and the 

 seed is swelling in July. If dry weather occurs, they 

 should be watered every other night. In August the 

 seed will be ripe, and, when perfectly dry, may be rubbed 

 out and stored. 



Diseases. In heavy, wet soil it is liable to have its 

 stalks split and canker. The soil for earthing up cannot 

 be too light and dry. We have seen coal-ashes employed 

 for the purpose most successfully. 



CELERY FLY. (Tephritis onopordinis.) In the autumn 

 it is very common to observe part of the leaves of Celery- 

 plants blistered and turned yellow ; and this occurs 

 occasionally to such an extent, that their growth is 

 checked and their size diminished. If the withered parts 

 are examined, and the skin of the blisters is raised, 

 there will be found beneath it some small green grubs, 

 that have eaten away all the green pulp (parenchyma) 

 of the parts so withered. These grubs are the larva? of 

 the Celery Fly. The grubs may be found in the leaves 

 of the Celery in June, July, September, October, and 

 November ; for there are two or more broods of them 

 in the course of the year. The grubs, though less fre- 

 quently, are found doing similar damage to the leaves 

 of Alexanders and Parsnips. When full grown, the grubs 

 descend into the earth, and remain in the chrysalis state 

 until the spring following, when they give birth to the 

 fly. The Celery Fly may usually be found upon the 

 leaves of the laurel, hovering over flowers and resting 

 upon palings in the sunshine, from the middle of May to 

 the end of July. It is one of the most beautiful of the 

 English two-winged flies, and has been thus described 

 by Mr. Westwood : The general colour of the body, 

 which is five-jointed, varies from rusty-brown to shining 

 black ; head buff, with black hairs ; legs yellow ; thorax 

 sprinkled with long black hairs ; wings black, with various 

 pale spots ; eyes green. The whole length of the insect 

 is not more than one-sixth of an inch, and its wings, 

 when outspread, barely half an inch across. A mark, 

 like the letter W, on each fore-wing, may serve to 

 identify it. The motions of this fly are very peculiar : 

 seated upon a leaf in the sunshine, the wings are 

 partially extended, yet partially elevated, and it has 

 a sideling kind of motion. The withered leaves of the 

 celery should be picked off, and the grubs within them 

 crushed as soon as seen. Mr. Westwood suggests that a 

 string, smeared with bird-lime, and stretched over the 

 celery-plants, might catch many of the parents. The 

 Cottage Gardener, i. p. 73. 



CELMTSIA. (Named after Celmisius, the mythical 

 son of a nymph. Nat. ord. Compositae.) 



Evergreen perennials of showy appearance, safest in 

 a greenhouse, but hardy in the more favoured parts of 

 the south and west of Britain and in Ireland. The 

 rockery is the best place for them. Seeds when obtain- 

 able. Soil light and well drained. 



C. angusti' ssima (narrowest-leaved). Ray white ; disc 

 yellow. New Zealand. 1909. 



C. coria'cea (leathery), i. Ray white; disc yellow. 



New Zealand. 1902. 

 ,, holoseri'cea (wholly silky). Ray white; disc yellow. 



New Zealand. 1909. 

 ,, Lindsa'yi (Lindsay's). |. Ray white ; disc yellow. 



New Zealand. 1890. 

 ,, Mackau'i (Mackau's). Ray white ; disc yellow. New 



Zealand. 1909. 

 ,, Munro'i (Munro's). . Ray white ; disc golden 



yellow. New Zealand. 1896. 

 ,, specta'bilis (showy), i. Ray white ; disc yellow. 



New Zealand. 1882. 



CELO'SIA. Cockscomb. (From kelos, burnt ; in re- 

 ference to the burnt-like appearance of the flowers of 

 some of the species. Nat. ord. Amarants [Amarantaceae]. 

 Linn. 5-Pentandria, i-Monogynia.) 



The flowers of the Cockscomb, Celo'sia crista'ta, are 

 astringent, and much used by Asiatic physicians. Seeds 

 in a hotbed in March ; potted off repeatedly, and trans- 

 ferred to the hothouse or greenhouse ; light, rich soil, 

 well drained. 



SHRUBS. 



C. echina'ta (hedgehog). See ALTERNANTHERA ACHY- 



RANTHA. 



glau'ca (milky-green), i. White. July. Cape of 



Good Hope. 1818. Greenhouse evergreen. 



GREENHOUSE ANNUALS. 



C. crista'ta (crested). 2. Dark red. July. Asia. 1570. 

 , au'rea (golden). Bright yellow. 

 , cocci'nea (scarlet). Magenta. India. 1597. 

 , compa'cta (compact). 2. Dark red. July. Asia. 



i57o. 

 , ela' 



'ta (tall). 2. Dark red. July. Asia. 1570. 

 , flave'scens (pale yellow). 2. Yellow. July. Asia. 

 1570. 



ii t> pyramida'lis (pyramidal). Colours various. July. 

 India. 1820. 



STOVE ANNUALS. 



C. arge'ntea (silvery-spiked), i. Light flesh. July. 

 China. 1740. 



linea'ris (narrow-feawd). i. Flesh. June. E. 

 Ind. 1714. 



margariia'cea (pearly) . 2. Yellow. W. Ind. 1817. 



castre'nsis (camp). See C. CRISTATA. 



,, ce'rnua (drooping). 3. Purple. July. E. Ind. 1809. 



cocci'nea (scarlet). See C. CRISTATA COCCINEA. 



como'sa (tufted). See C. CRISTATA. 



,, dicho'toma (fork-branched). See ALLMANIA NODI- 

 FLORA. 



Hutto'ni (Mutton's). Leaves crimson. Java. 1872. 



,, lana'ta (woolly). See AERVA TOMENTOSA. 



,, margarita'cea (pearly). See C. ARGENTEA MARGARI- 

 TACEA. 



,, Monso'nia (Monson's). See AERVA MONSONIA. 



,, ni'tida (shining). See C. PANICULATA. 



,, nodiflo'ra (knotted-flowered). See ALLMANIA NODI- 

 FLORA. 



panicula' ta (panicled) . i. Purple. August. Malabar. 

 1706. 



,, pyramida'lis (pyramidal). See C. CRISTATA PYRA- 

 MIDALIS. 



tri'gyna (three-styled). Trop. Africa. 



,, virga'ta (twiggy). Greenish. Colombia. 



CELO'SIA CRISTA'TA. The Cockscomb of florists. 

 All the varieties of this are well worth cultivating. The 

 deep crimson-coloured varieties are generally the most 

 esteemed ; and of these there are tall and dwarf kinds, 

 the latter being generally preferred, the comb at its 

 extremities altogether, or nearly, touching the sides of 

 the pot. Seeds should be sown in a sweet hotbed in 

 spring ; and, unlike the balsam, where splendid specimens 

 are required, they should never be turned out of the hot- 

 bed until the combs are nearly full-grown, when they may 

 be set in the greenhouse. Two systems of culture may 

 be adopted. First, as soon as the plants are one inch 

 in height, prick out, and shift successively into larger 

 pots, never allowing the plants to be pot-bound. By 

 this method the plants are strong before the combs 

 appear, and you have a chance of having many very 

 fine, but with the risk that many others, from their 

 shape, will be fit only for the rubbish-heap. By the 



