CELER Y — CHA RD 



475 



the middle of July, preferably just before a rain. 

 The plant bed should have a thorough soaking 

 shortly before the plants are lifted, and each 

 plant be trimmed, both top and root, before set- 

 ting. The plants should be set from 5 to 6 inches 

 apart in the rows and the earth well firmed 

 around each one. 



The after-cultivation consists in thorough 

 tillage until the time of "handling" or earthing 

 up the plants. This process of handling is 

 accomplished by drawing up the earth with one 



hand while 





303. 



Storing celery in 

 a trench in the 

 field. (Seep. 515.) 



304. A celery pit. 



holding the 

 plant with the 



other, packing the soil well around 

 the stalks. This process may be 

 continued until only the leaves are 

 to be seen. For the private grower, 

 it is much easier to blanch the celery 

 with boards or paper, or if the 



celery is not wanted until winter, the plants may be dug up, packed 



closely in boxes, covering the roots with soil, 



and placed in a dark, cool cellar, where the 



stalks will blanch themselves. In this way 



celery may be stored in boxes in the house 



cellar. Put earth in the bottom of a deep 



box, and plant the celery in it. 



Celery is sometimes stored in trenches in the 



open (Fig. 303), the roots being transplanted 



to such places in late fall. The plants are set 



close together and the trenches are covered 



with boards. A wider trench or pit may be 



made (Fig. 304) and covered with a shed roof. 



Chard, or Swiss chard, is a development of 

 the beet species characterized by large suc- 

 culent leafstalks instead of enlarged roots 



305. Swiss chard. 



