CELERY. 55 



near the surface which put out laterally 

 and serve as feeders to the plant. Those 

 which strike downward supply the plant 

 with moisture, an office which is also per- 

 formed by the leaves at night, for they 

 condense moisture from the atmosphere 

 under favorable conditions. In hoeing 

 we must be cautious not to get dirt into 

 the heart of the plants, else they will be 

 destroyed as surely as if overtaken by a 

 flood. The heart of the celery plant must 

 be allowed when young to have an 

 abundance of air ; many plants are lost 

 from being banked, when they should only 

 be hoed about to kill the weeds, and by 

 stirring the soil furnish moisture. This 

 stirring is of the utmost importance in 

 dry weather, for if the plants are once 

 suffered to wilt there is danger of losing 



