406 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



HOW TO GROW NICK CKLERY WITHOUT ANY 

 EARTHING UP. 



We have had so much instruction in grow- 

 ing celery that it would almost seem as if 

 every one should know how. But even if 

 every one does know, he does not do it. The 

 directions given by our friend below will, I 

 think, do it every time, providing you have 

 the right kind of soil to start with ; and yuu 

 can make any kind of soil right if j-ou go at 

 it as I have described elsewhere in this issue 

 for growing strawberries. If you own or can 

 get control of any piece of ground where it 

 can get the sunshine and the rain you can 

 make it grow stuff. We will now let our friend 

 tell his stor}-. 



Growing celery for market is quite a particular job. 

 A number have tried in our locality to grow celery, 

 but have not succeeded very well. It is not as good 

 when earthed up, as the soifis black and siicky, and 

 leaves the stalks rusty, besides the great amount of 

 work there is in earthing up. Seeing an article in 

 Glkanings la.st spring I went to work as follows : I 

 .started my plants in April in small low boxes, quite 

 thick; when large enough I transplanted into larger 

 ones (outdoors), 2 feet wide and 3 long, in rows 2 

 inches apart, and ^ inch in the row. I kept them 

 wet until large enough to .set in the garden. I pre- 

 pared the ground with rotten barnyard manure; plow- 

 ed in and thoroughly harrowed, then staked out the 

 rows three feet apart, and raked the ground fine and 

 a little hollow where the rows came. Wet the ground 

 well and lay a board .'> inches wide right where you 

 want the rows; get the plant-box and give them also a 

 good wetting. If grown right, the box will hn full of 

 roots. Cut with a knife between the plants and take 

 them out, and with a dib">le make a hole (or, rather, a 



row of holes) on each side of the board, about 5 or 6 

 inches apart. If there is no rain at the time, water 

 well. I make the hollow a little lo «:-er at one end, .so 

 as to run the water between the two rows with a hose 

 from a tank. Our water is pumped up with a wind- 

 mill (or our .•-tock. When the plants are about six 

 inches high, put up boards 18 inches wide on each 

 side of the two rows, a foot apart. The boards, 

 straight up, are held apart by narrow strips tacked 

 across tight at each end with a Ijoa d one foot wide on 

 the end. I now put long barnj-ard manure between 

 the board-, about 4 inches deep; tramp it down well, 

 and the job is done. Ours grew at the rate of an inch 

 a day until it was out of the boards. 



This plan does not need much water. After the 

 mulching is done I take a gaspipe with a hole in 

 every foot; lay it on the mulching, and screw the hose 

 in the end, and the water will .soak through the 

 mul -hing and down into the hollow where the plants 

 are. When these two rows are wet enough, move to 

 two others, and .so on. When the leaves are well out 

 of the boards, or about two feet high, close the board 

 in at the top, and in a week blanching is done. 



When we want celery for market I take the board 

 away, as shown in the picture, and cut it out. It is 

 beautiful, tender, and clean ; needs no washing or 

 cleaning. When I took the first to town the people 

 were surprised to see such celery grown in Minnesota. 

 When I went again I inquired how they liked it. 

 They told me it was as good again as that shipped in. 



Welcome, Minn. " Wm. Suter. 



Our friends can see from the picture above 

 how the celery- crop covered the ground and 

 bleached itself with the double rows between 

 the two wide boards placed only abotit a foot 

 apart. The two rows with the 18-inch board 

 on each side would occupy a little more than 

 afoot — say 15 inches of the space between 

 the rows. This would leave about 20 inches 

 for a path to go between the celery rows with 

 boards on each side. As I understand it, the 

 manure is to be packed 4 inches deep arotmd 

 the plants between the boards; that is, as soon 

 as they are tall enough to be mulched. With 

 four inches of good strong manure it would 

 not take very much water to keep the ground 

 constantly moist. Now, I would put a manure 

 mulching in the paths as well as around the 

 plants between the boards — that is, unless 

 your ground is exceedingly rich. That tank 

 kept supplied with water by means of a wind- 

 mill is another important feature in making it 

 a success. Plenty of water and plenty of 

 manure will do almost any thing with celery, 

 especially where the manure is applied as a 

 mulch. It would cost something to ftirnish 

 water, manure, and boards for a whole acre on 

 this plan; but I tell you, the crop, if managed 

 right, would bring in a lot of money. I know 

 it will succeed, for I have seen a modification 

 of it on tne celery-farms near us. 



PREPARING GROUND FOR STRAWBERRIES. 



Right near our quarter-acre of plant-beds is 

 a piece of poor clay ground that persistently 

 refused to give decent crops of any thing. It 

 was not only poor soil, but it was in a low 

 spot where water had stood. I underdrained 

 it, but it was soggy and sour, even then. Then 

 I made surface-drains all around it. I plowed 

 it up, worked down the lumps, and put on 

 manure. I suppose a good many old farmers 

 would have said I had ])etter let it alone and 

 make garden somewhere else. But the ground 

 was near the railroad, and had cost at about 

 the rate of .*2000 an acre. We bought it more 

 to prevent somebody else from locating there 

 than for almost any thing else. Wf 11, I kept 



