708 



CELERY 



CELERY 



865. An old method 

 of growing celery in 

 trenches. It is yet 

 sometimes stored for 

 winter in such 

 trenches. 



A space of 30 to 40 inches is allowed between the sets of 

 double rows. As soon as the celery has reached the proper 

 stage of growth, or the market has arrived at a condi- 

 tion in which it is thought wise to ship the celery, 

 the boards are placed alongside the plants and held in 

 place by stakes driven into the ground. Further to 

 exclude the air and light, a small quantity of soil is 

 plowed against the bases of the boards, although this 

 ..-,_. is unnecessary when the soil is 

 sufficiently mellow. The tops 

 of the boards are placed firmly 

 together so that only a part of 

 the foliage extends above them. 

 With the Golden Self-blanch- 

 ing variety, it is only a few days 

 until the celery is sufficiently 

 blanched and crisp to make a good 

 vegetable. 



Fertilizer. 



In the preparation of the field, 

 large quantities of fertilizer are 

 used. Stable manure is not a 

 favorite, unless it can be applied 

 to the land early enough to be- 

 come thoroughly rotted before the 

 plants are set out. The quantity 

 obtainable, however, is usually so 

 small and the price so high in the 

 South that commercial fertilizers have largely replaced 

 it. The quantity of fertilizer applied may range up 

 to $80 or even $125 worth per acre (of the formula 

 given on page 704.) 



Irrigation. 



In the most productive celery regions, sub-irrigation 

 systems (as described under Irrigation) are established. 

 The laterals are laid 15 to 25 feet apart, according to 

 the contour of the land, and the notion of the grower. 

 The irrigation system at the same time serves as a 

 drainage system. This makes it especially convenient, 

 since abundant artesian water is present in nearly all 

 the celery-growing sections far south. The system 

 has been found so convenient that a large amount of 

 damage has been done by over-irrigation, not only in 

 carrying off much soluble fertilizer, but also by water- 

 logging the soil and thus driving the roots of the celery 

 plants so near the surface as to be constantly liable to 

 injury. In the hands of careful celery-growers, how- 

 ever, the system is the best that has been invented. 



P. H. ROLFS. 



Celery-growing in California. 



There are two principal celery-growing districts in 

 California, Orange County, which is situated in the 

 swamp lands south of Los Angeles; and the northern 

 district, which includes the peat or swamp lands along the 

 Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers between Sacramento 



and Stockton. 



Several varieties 

 of celery have been 

 tested in this state, 

 but the Golden Self- 

 !r. blanching is most 

 popular and profit- 

 able. 



866. A good form of trench storage. 



Seeding. 



In California the 

 seed is sown in the 

 open ground, but, owing to its extremely small size, it 

 is difficult to get a good stand unless the ground is well 

 pulverized. It is commonly estimated that enough plants 

 may be grown on 1 acre of seed-bed to plant 20 acres in 

 the field. To produce healthy, vigorous plants, heavy 



watering is the rule at first, but as soon as the plants 

 have begun to grow the quantity of water is reduced, 

 and it should never be allowed to stand on the surface 

 of the bed. In order to accomplish this the land must 

 be well drained. The seed is usually sown in March, 

 April or May. 



Irrigation and drainage. 



Although not nearly so much water is required for 

 the plants in the field as in the seed-bed, celery plants 

 cannot stand drought at any stage of their growth; 

 a well-controlled irrigation system is imperative, except 

 where the water-table is close to the surface. 



Good drainage is as important as irrigation, for, if 

 water is allowed to stand in the field even for a short 

 time, the plants will suffer seriously. As most of the 

 California celery land is low and the ordinary drainage 

 is poor, an extended system of tile drainage has been 

 laid in nearly all celery fields, especially in Orange 

 County, to prevent losses from standing water. 



Subsequent tillage. 



When the plants are large enough to be transplanted, 

 they are pulled from the seed-beds, placed in tin pans 

 and hauled to the field, where they are planted 6 

 inches apart in the furrows 3H feet apart. The depth 

 of the furrows in which the plants are set is some- 

 what varied, depending on the soil-moisture, and 

 the size of the plants. The average depth is from 3 

 to 5 inches. 



After the plants have been set in the field for about 

 three weeks or a month and have recovered from the 

 transplanting, the field is "crowded." This operation 

 consists in moving the earth away from the young 

 plants so that they will have more air around them and 

 to kill what weeds have grown so close to the plants 

 that it is impossible to reach them with the cultivator. 



As the earth between the rows of plants is left in a 

 ridge after the plants have been "crowded," a large 

 wooden roller, which extends across several rows, is 

 now used to flatten down these ridges and to pack the 

 soil more firmly. The roller is used only when the 

 plants are small, otherwise they would be injured by 

 being crushed. If the plants have grown so large that 

 there is danger of injury by this rolling of the middles, 

 the ridges are smoothed down by the cultivator. 



When the plants are 12 to 15 inches tall, earth from 

 between the rows is drawn up to them. This is termed 

 "splitting." This should be done carefully, for, if the 

 earth is put too close or too high up on the plants, they 

 will become tender and weak, especially if the weather 

 is hot. The object of "splitting" is gradually to encour- 

 age the plants to grow tall and straight instead of 

 spreading out. This operation is repeated twice in the 

 season, the first time when the plants are 14 to 16 inches 

 tall and the second time just before banking. This 

 last "splitting" also aids blanching. 



Blanching. 



Practically all the celery grown in California is 

 banked with earth for blanching. Banking is done 

 when the celery is reaching its maturity and is nearly 

 ready for shipment. This is the last field operation 

 before the crop is cut. When the celery is banked for 

 the first time, the earth is not drawn very high on the 

 plants, but each time the field is banked the soil is 

 drawn higher so as firmly to hold the leaves together 

 and in an upright position. If celery that has been 

 banked for the last time is not harvested shortly, it 

 will soon become "punky." The length of time that 

 it can safely be left in the bank depends upon the 

 character of the soil, the weather conditions, and upon 

 the condition of the plants themselves. Celery on sandy 

 soil will keep much longer in the bank than on heavy 

 clay loam or. peat soil. If the celery has not matured 

 or if the weather is hot or moist, its keeping quality 



