280 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



good as barnyard manure. Have the material to be used as a mulch 

 near at hand, and as the plants are set cover the soil around them to 

 a depth of 2 inches, bringing the mulching material up close to the 

 plant, but being careful to allow none to get into the heart. Apply 

 the mulch before watering, if possible. 



Where celery is planted in single rows and mulched it will only 

 be necessary to maintain shallow cultivation between the rows, not 

 allowing the cultivator teeth to come nearer the plants than the edge 

 of the mulch. Where no mulch is used the cultivation may be car- 

 ried a little closer to the plants, but should be very shallow, and at no 

 time should deep cultivation be practiced, as the roots are to be found 

 very near the surface of the soil. If a mulch is used no hand cultiva- 

 tion will be required, either along the side or between the plants in 

 the row, except to pull any weeds that may spring up. Where no 

 mulch is used it will be necessary lightly to stir the surface with a 

 wheel hoe or iron rake, to prevent a crust being formed after each 

 rain or watering. Keep the surface of the soil smooth and in no case 

 allow lumps of earth to remain near the plants. 



Blanching. In its original wild state the stems of celery are 

 tough, full of woody strands, of a rank flavor, and green in color, 

 being similar to the outside stems or trimmings of our present varie- 

 ties. The object of blanching is to secure leafstalks free from woody 

 strands, crisp and tender, and without the rank flavor found in those 

 that are green. Of the cultivated plant there are two classes of varie- 

 ties, the large-growing, or giant, and the dwarf sorts. These are 

 again divided into those which must be blanched by excluding all 

 the light and those which are in a measure self-blanching. Of the 

 former the Giant Pascal variety is a type, and of the latter the Golden 

 Self-Blanching variety is a good illustration. 



Blanching is accomplished by the same general method that is 

 employed for destroying the coloring matter in any plant tissue, 

 that is, by excluding the light and allowing the growth to proceed 

 in the dark. The particular method to be adopted must be deter- 

 mined largely by the time when the crop is to be used. If for early 

 use or marketing, the blanching must be completed where the plants 

 are grown ; but if the celery be for winter use the blanching may take 

 place after the crop has been removed from the field and placed in 

 storage. In fact, it is best to blanch as little as possible before stor- 

 ing when the product is to be kept until late, as the keeping qualities 

 are better while it is unblanched. When planting for early use it is 

 necessary to choose one of the self-blanching varieties, such as may 

 be conveniently blanched by the use of boards or other similar 

 means. 



For early blanching on a small scale, such as would be employed 

 on the farm or in the garden of the amateur horticulturist, there are 

 several methods. One of the most common is by means of boards 

 placed on edge along each side of the row. 



After the boards are in position it is a good plan to run a celery 

 hiller between the rows and to throw a little soil against the lower 



