278 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



sand. This tray can be placed in the window of a moderately warm 

 room in the dwelling, and the soil should be watered by sprinkling 

 very lightly as often as necessary to keep the surface from showing 

 dryness, but the soil should not become waterlogged. 



Soidng for a Late Crop. The method no\y in use by most large 

 growers is to prepare a tract of land by pulverizing with horse tools 

 and then raking by hand, after which the seed is sown broadcast by 

 means of a wheelbarrow grass-seed drill. The soil is sometimes 

 pressed down with a plank after the seeds are scattered, but some 

 growers maintain that there is a decided advantage in leaving the soil 

 slightly uneven, as the seeds fall into the shaded places and are 

 protected from the direct rays of the sun. The seed will become suffi- 

 ciently covered by rains or by watering. Should more than 20 per 

 cent of the seed usually sown germinate, it is necessary to thin out 

 to prevent overcrowding, with its attendant injury. To prevent the 

 surface of the soil becoming too dry, it may be necessary to partially 

 shade the young plants during the warm days of early summer, 

 but the shading should never be so dense as to cause them to become 

 "drawn." 



Transplanting. In case the grower adopts the plan of transplant- 

 ing twice, the seedlings will be ready for the first handling in from 

 four to six weeks from the time the seed is sown. The seedlings may 

 be transplanted to trays or to beds in the open ground. This trans- 

 planting answers two purposes: (1) The seedling plant of celery has 

 a straight root, or taproot, which is broken in transplanting, causing 

 a large mass of fibrous roots to be formed. In the case of a plant 

 allowed to remain in the seed bed until planting-out time this taproot 

 has gone far down into the soil and the plant has formed very few 

 side roots; consequently it suffers a great shock in the process of 

 planting in the field, and a large number of plants will need to be 

 replaced. (2) When transplanting twice is practiced there is no 

 necessity for thinning, and a more uniform lot of plants is obtained. 

 Two handlings can not be recommended when celery is grown on a 

 large scale, as the cost of labor is too great. It is better to have a 

 surplus of plants and to renew those that fail. 



Watering. When the seed bed is prepared, the soil of which 

 it is composed should contain as much moisture as possible and yet be 

 in good condition to handle. After sowing and covering the seeds 

 the bed should be sprinkled lightly. During the period between seed- 

 ing and the appearance of the plants the bed should be watered only 

 as often as it shows indications of dryness; however, the surface 

 should never become dry. During the first few days a moist cloth 

 may be spread over the surface of the seed bed in order to conserve 

 the moisture, but this covering should be removed before the seedlings 

 begin to appear. After the plants are up, care should be taken not 

 to water too heavily, as the seedlings are liable to "damp off" ; but the 

 ground should never become so dry as to check their growth. Celery 

 requires the most water while making its greatest growth, which 

 occurs late in the summer. As the crop approaches maturity the water 

 should be applied sparingly, and it should be withheld altogether for 



