33 



or S15 for water and labor. Some sort of a labor-saving sprinkler system 

 should be used. The writer has tried several such, and is satisfied 

 that there is no system any better or more economical than the Skinner 

 system. The pipes may be laid on the surface of the ground when 

 preparing the land, and may be left there until the celery is nearly 

 grown. Should it need watering when nearly mature, set the pipes up 

 on stakes about 3 feet above the suface of the ground. This system is 

 made of iron pipe and brass fixtures, and will last a long time. It will 

 be found ver}- satisfactory in any garden of ^ acre or over. IMost other 

 systems require more labor and also the use of considerable hose, which 

 soon wears out and is sure to injure more or less plants while being 

 used. 



If only Paris Golden celery is grown, the rows may be from 2 to 2^ 

 feet apart, and do well. Many market gardeners have also tried grow- 

 ing the Giant Pascal celery in rows that distance apart, and continue 

 to do so, bleaching the crop in the pit. Another way of setting that 

 has been tried by many, and seldom tried a second season, is that of 

 setting the plants 1 foot apart each way. You can get in as many 

 plants if they are set 6 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart, and the cul- 

 tivation is much simpler, and can be largel}^ done with a horse and a 

 five-tooth culti^'ator. 



Cultivating. 



The whole idea of cultivating celery is to keep the ground loose and 

 cultivation shallow, and it is just as important to cultivate in a wet 

 time as when there is continued dry weather. The ground is apt to 

 get hard in wet weather, and the roots get too numerous near the sur- 

 face ; then a period of dry weather follows, and the cultivation cuts off 

 so many roots that the crop suffers and is more liable to disease. With 

 proper preparation of the soil and proper cultivation of celery we have 

 no fear of disease, and no use for nitrate of soda or spraying with 

 Bordeaux mixture to prevent blight. Nitrate of soda is good to make 

 celery move along a little faster, and it is safe to use 200 to 300 pounds 

 to the acre between the rows, or 2 pounds to a row 100 feet long in a 

 garden. 



Bleaching. 



The early or Paris Golden celery may be bleached with boards and 

 come out of the way, so that the late celerj' or Giant Pascal can be 

 banked with earth. This is the plan used where a^ou wish to sell all 

 the celery from the field. The boards used are rough boards, not less 

 than 10 inches wide, 12 feet long and 1 inch thick. These same boards 

 are used in making storage pits for the winter celery. The boards are 

 set up on edge as straight as possible, and kept in place by slats nailed 

 across the upper edges of the boards, about 2 feet from the ends. The 

 space between the boards through which the celery grows should be 

 left at least 4 inches wide. Many market gardeners use a heaAy gal- 

 vanized-wire hook to drop over the edges of the two boards. These 



