MARKETING CELERY. 253 



larger and heavier. It is used with wide end forward, 

 which draws and crowds the earth up to the plants. From 

 16 to 20 days will generally bleach the variety grown, the 

 White Plume, which is grown almost exclusively, not that 

 it is the best, but trade demands it and it is the easiest to 

 raise, as it requires less labor and is more easily bleached 

 than other sorts. 



Harvesting. The harvesting is done with a U-shaped 

 cutter attached to a suitable frame, drawn on each side 

 and under the rows of banked celery, cutting off the roots 

 and raising them in the loose soil. This is followed by 

 the trimmers, who lift the plants, trim off the outer stalk 

 and square the roots. It is now ready to tie in bunches 

 or crate. 



Marketing. Celery is shipped in crates, 22x24 in. base, 

 which holds six to eight dozen of celery, according to size. 

 An average crate will weigh about 145 pounds, and 160 

 crates make an average carload. Some eastern dealers 

 prefer the celery shipped in bulk or on decks built in the 

 car. This is a much cheaper way to ship, and is claimed 

 by some to be just as safe. In shipping in this way, three 

 decks are built in the car, and the celery is tied in bunches 

 of one dozen each and stood upright with roots resting on 

 the decks. By this method three or four hundred dozen 

 more celery can be packed in a car. Celery is shipped to 

 all the principal cities of the United States and Canada, 

 and carries successfully. The marketing of the crop is 

 largely done by associations of growers. 



Celery Blight. Occasionally atmospheric conditions fa- 

 vor the growth of a leaf fungus known as celery blight, 

 and great losses have resulted in some years. Recent ex- 

 perience shows that the blight is subject to control by 

 spraying the plants with the Bordeaux mixture as soon 

 as signs of the incroachment of the disease appear, or 

 when weather conditions indicate the danger to be immi- 

 nent. Special publications on this subject can be had 

 from the University Experiment Station at Berkeley. 



Varieties. As already stated, the White Plume is the 



