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CELASTRIS CELERY. 



contrasted with the red or white valves of the capsule. 

 The wood is hard and fine-grained, and is made into 

 spindles and skewers, and, according to Linnaeus, 

 affords the best charcoal for drawing. The fruit and 

 inner bark act as purgatives, and in large doses as 

 emetics. The young branches of Maytcnus boaria 

 are used in Chile as a wash for swellings produced by 

 the poisonous shade of the tree Lit/ii. 



The species of JSlceodendron, or olive-woods, bear 

 considerable resemblance to the olive. The fruit of 

 some of them yields, by expression, an oil which is 

 used at table, and for various other purposes. 



CELASTRIS. A genus of Le Heretier's, now 

 merged 'in the new genus Maytenus of Feuillee. 



CELASTRUS (Linnaeus). A genus of evergreen 

 shrubs and climbers, chiefly natives of the Cape of 

 Good Hope. Linngean class and order Pentandria 

 Monogynia; natural order Celastrinece. Generic 

 character: calyx of five lobes ; petals clawed and 

 plain ; disk glandular ; stamens bearing erect egg- 

 shaped anthers ; style thick and short ; stigma in 

 three parts ; capsule three-celled, one seed in each ; 

 arillus of the seed fleshy and banded. The different 

 species of celastrus, or staff-tree, have been long in 

 our greenhouse collections. They are pretty ever- 

 greens, and easily propagated by cuttings. 



CELERY. An aquatic plant indigenous to Britain, 

 but has been long cultivated in gardens as a salad and 

 culinary vegetable. The wild plant has a heavy scent, 

 somewhat similar to that of its congener, parsley, 

 on which account it formerly had a place in the herb- 

 border, and was used as a seasoner under the name of 

 smallage. This herb has, however, disappeared from 

 gardens since the Italian varieties of it has been 

 introduced under the name of Ccleri, or celery ; and 

 its crude and rank natural qualities being dissipated 

 by blanching, it is rendered one of the most agreeable 

 and wholesome of salad vegetables. 



In every large domestic establishment celery, in 

 one shape or other, is wanted every day in the year ; 

 its culture is therefore a material part of the gardener's 

 business. One large principal crop will not suffice ; 

 there must be a constant supply, as well of blanched 

 as green. 



Celery is in its prime state for use when it is full 

 grown, thoroughly blanched, and just before the seed 

 stem comes forth ; after that shoots up, the whole 

 plant becomes stringy, and less succulent. The stem 

 rises sooner or later, according as the seed is sown 

 early or late in the first months of the year. The 

 first sowings are made in January, and again about 

 the beginning of March. Both these sowings are 

 made on hotbed heat ; and when large enough to 

 handle, are pricked out on a slight hotbed, to get the 

 plants forward for ridging out in May. Both these 

 sowings may be small, because the plants raised from 

 them run to seed almost as soon as they are fit for 

 use ; still, where such celery is wanted, it must be 

 cultivated, however fugitive it may be. The next 

 and principal sowings are made about the 1st of April 

 and 1st of May, on warm borders of the richest soil. 

 For the plants from these sowings nursery-beds 

 are prepared, and on which they are carefully 

 pricked out to gain strength before ridging out in 

 the months of June and July. The last sowing may 

 be made at the beginning of June ; but little else 

 than green leaves can be expected from the plants 

 of this sowing, because the growth of young celery 

 plants is very slow after midsummer. But as planta- 



tions are made at different periods from the April 

 and May sowings, a pretty constant succession of 

 ine celery will be had throughout the autumn and 

 winter months. 



For the facility of blanching celery, it is usually 

 slanted in trenches in the following manner, viz. : 

 on an open compartment garden trenches are marked 

 out by line, one foot wide and four feet from 

 ?ach other ; these are digged out to the depth often 

 nches, laying the earth neatly levelled on each side. 

 The trenches being cleared out, a coat of rich rotten 

 dung, two inches thick, is laid in the bottom, and 

 :urned in with the spade half a spit deep. This 

 finished, plants raised from the nursery-bed, having a 

 few of their outside leaves trimmed off, are dibbed- 

 in five inches apart along the centre of the trench. 

 A good soaking of water is immediately given, and 

 repeated every other day, if necessary, till the plants 

 tiave taken hold of their new place. 



The dung under the roots assists the plants to 



ow strongly, and being planted in a trench, induces 

 a quick growth upwards. As the leaves advance in 

 height, they are earthed up gradually, by paring 

 earth from the sides of the trench with a spade, and 

 allowing it to fall towards the plants, but not too 

 much at a time, nor letting it into the hearts of the 

 plants. This work should always be done on dry 

 days, because moist earth might discolour or rot the 

 outer leaves. 



Two methods are followed in blanching celery ; the 

 first is doing it gradually as the plants advance in 

 height ; the other is allowing the plants to attain 

 their full bulk and height, and then earthing them 

 up at once. The latter plan is said to be the best, 

 because the plants grow quicker while unencumbered 

 with earth than if always closely earthed up. The 

 fact is, the first is necessary in private gardens, 

 where great size is of little value ; and the second is 

 best in market gardens, where bulk is an object, and 

 where the crop is cleared away wholesale, whether 

 thoroughly blanched or not. By the time the July 

 planted crop arrives at full height, the plants will 

 appear to stand in ridges perhaps two feet high ; and 

 the last earthing up is done with much care, by 

 bringing and beating up the ridge to an acute angle 

 at top, to throw off rain, which would soak down 

 among, and injure the hearts. This finishes the 

 culture of the principal crop ; and all the other 

 plantings, whether earlier or later, are treated in the 

 same way. 



The later in the year celery is ridged out, the 

 shallower the trenches are made ; those planted in 

 September need not be deeper than about six inches, 

 the plants rarely requiring to be deeper earthed up. 



Another way of blanching celery is sometimes 

 practised in market gardens. Instead of trenches 

 for single rows, a large, say four feet wide trench, is 

 made and dunged as before ; the plants are dibbed 

 in rows one foot apart across the trench ; and as the 

 plants advance in height, they are earthed up by well 

 broken soil taken from the sides. This plan answers 

 very well, provided the crop is taken up before 

 winter ; but the flat surface of such a bed is liable to 

 admit too much moisture for the safety of the plants 

 after they have ceased growing. 



Frost is fatal to celery, if it reach it through the 

 ridges. Fine crops should, therefore, not be left in 

 jeopardy ; they should either be effectually covered 

 where they stand, or be taken up and stored in sand 



