CELERY. 



ICO 



CELOSIA. 



Mr. Cu thill performed the operation 

 entirely with the spade ; no hand- earthing 

 was employed. Parallel lines were stretched 

 on each side of the row and 18 inches from 

 the plant, and the mould was cut out of the 

 alleys to form the blanching ridge, the 

 whole being effected at three different times, 

 and not commenced until the plants were 

 18 inches high. 



Blanching Celery with Drain Pipes. 

 The following method has been recom- 

 mended for blanching celery, which merits 

 attention. Under this plan the celery is 

 planted out about 15 or 18 inches apart, on 

 a well-manured and well-pulverised piece 

 of ground, and it is allowed to grow to its 

 full size, the ground in the meantime being 

 kept well stirred between. The plants 

 should be freely watered in dry weather, 

 and with liquid manure, unless the ground 

 has been mulched with short well-rotted 

 dung laid between them. When it is 

 desired to blanch it, get a number of 4-inch 

 drain pipes about 1 8 inches long , place 

 one over each plant, hold the leaves and 

 stalks together, and fill up with sand ; it 

 will blanch clean, and is easily taken up. 

 A great many more may thus be grown on 

 a given space, the waste of room between 

 the trenches, as in the ordinary method, 

 being unnecessary. To protect from frost, 

 place litter between ; but very sharp frosts 

 alone will injure them. The cost of pipes 

 will be saved in the reduction of the neces- 

 sary labour. The sand may be collected 

 and used again, or it will be an excellent 

 dressing for the ground, if heavy. 



Lifting Celery. In lifting celery, 

 "always begin at one end of a row," says 

 Mr. Mclntosh, " taking the plants up by 

 the roots, and carefully avoid bruising the 

 stems or breaking the leaves.'* Cut the 

 roots off, and bur}' them in the trench j but 

 remove the plant to the vegetable house. 

 Remove the outer leaves to be washed, and 

 reserved for soups. The centre part care 



ully examine, and remove discoloured por- 

 tions ; and when washed clean, dip it in 

 clear salt and water, to dislodge any small 

 worms ; this done, it passes out of the 

 gardener's care. As frost sets in, a quantity 

 of the crop for immediate use should be 

 taken up ; removing the roots and soil, and 

 tying, the leaves together, convey them to 

 the root cellar, and lay them in sand, not 

 too dry, Look to them from time to time, 

 to see that they do not get too dry. 



There are many kinds of celery in culti- 

 vation. Of late years various new sorts 

 have been introduced, and it is better to re- 

 fer the reader to the growers' price lists for 

 these than to give a list here, which in a 

 very brief time may require alteration. 



Celo'sia, or Cockscomb (not. ord. 



Amarantha'cese.) 



Elegant and free-flowering half-hardy 

 annuals, producing in the greatest pro- 

 fusion spikes of the most beautiful flowers. 

 Some of the varieties have long, beautiful, 

 slender flower-spikes, which may be dried 



CELOSIA CRISTATA, OF COCKSCOMB. 



for winter bouquets ; others, again, have 

 feathery or mossy plumes. Plants of the 

 celosia flower freely if planted out in June 

 in a warm, sheltered situation ; grown in 

 pots, they are the most graceful of green- 

 house and conservatory plants, and with a 

 little management may be had in flower 

 the whole winter. They are exceedingly 

 valuable for dinner-table decoration. They 



