CELERY AND CELERIAC 139 



well to commence hardening the tender seedlings. Do 

 this by putting the boxes in the open for three or four 

 days during sunny periods, afterwards placing them out 

 during the less attractive parts of the day, and finally 

 leaving them in the open continuously. 



When able to withstand the extremes of day and 

 night, the seedlings are planted out fairly closely in a plot 

 of rich soil which enjoys plenty of sunshine. Here they 

 must be watered daily and fed constantly, when estab- 

 lished, with liquid manure and soot water. 



In the meantime, trenches are dug to provide perma- 

 nent homes for the young plants, preferably on the ground 

 cleared of an early crop of peas. They should be a foot 

 deep, twenty inches wide, run north and south and have a 

 space of three feet between them. The disturbed soil 

 should be piled up neatly between the rows, where 

 such catch-crops as radishes, lettuces, and spinach may 

 be sown. The bottom of the trenches must be well 

 forked and mixed with a six-inch layer of rich animal 

 manure, and then pressed firm. Afterwards a three-inch 

 covering of good loam is placed over the manure in 

 readiness for the celery plants. 



When the preparations are complete, the choicest 

 specimens in the seedling bed are dug up with a good 

 ball of earth enveloping the roots. If the ground is dry, 

 water it sufficiently to make the mould cling to the root 

 formations. Then put the plants in firmly, nine inches 

 apart, pressing the earth around the foot of the stalks 

 with the knuckles. Never plant a ragged specimen, but 

 trim away broken leaves, remove cracked stems, etc. 

 It is very necessary to see that the new inhabitants of 

 the trench do not flag soon after planting. Possibly 



