CELERY. 51 



the plants not receiving sufficient moisture 

 from the air must be watered by hand, 

 and will require to be shaded as well. 

 This is all a useless labor and expense, 

 for celery cultivation should be so managed 

 as that no hand watering in the field 

 should ever be required. The practice 

 besides causing expense is injurious, for it 

 compacts the surface of the soil and thus 

 destroys its porosity. It makes but little 

 difference as to the heat of the day, if the 

 celery plants are set out soon after the 

 ground is plowed, for the cold overturned 

 soil will supply abundance of moisture to 

 the plants. The old plan is to prepare 

 the trenches in dry weather, and im- 

 mediately after a rain-fall to set all 

 hands to work setting the plants. This 

 was formerly my own practice, but sad 



