246 THE HOME ACRE. 



repeated several times before winter, the oftener 

 the better; for by it the great majority of weed- 

 seeds will be made to germinate, and thus are 

 destroyed. The ground also becomes exceedingly 

 rich, mellow, and fine, an essential condition 

 for celery seed, which is very small, and germi- 

 nates slowly. This thorough preparation does not 

 involve much labor, for the seed-bed is small, and 

 nothing more is required in spring but to rake 

 the ground smooth and fine as soon as the frost 

 is out. The soil has already been made mellow, 

 and certainly nothing is gained by turning up 

 the cold earth in the bottom of the bed. Sow 

 the seed at once on the sun-warmed surface. 

 The rows should be nine inches apart, and about 

 twelve seeds sown to every inch of row. The 

 drills should be scarcely an eighth of an inch deep. 

 Indeed, a firm patting with the back of a spade 

 would give covering enough. Since celery ger- 

 minates so slowly, it is well to drop a lettuce-seed 

 every few inches, to indicate clearly just where the 

 rows are. Then the ground between the rows can 

 be hoed lightly as soon as the weeds start, also 

 after heavy rains, so as to admit the vivifying sun- 

 rays and air. Of course when the celery plants are 

 clearly outlined, the lettuce should be pulled out. 



If the bed is made in spring, perform the work 

 as early as possible, making the bed very rich, 



