130 



VEGETABLE GARDENING. 



except by rolling or patting it down with the back of a spade. 

 If there is danger of the seed drying out, some growers shade 

 the bed with cotton cloth or with a lath screen raised about 

 one foot from the ground and so made as to keep off about 

 one-half the sunlight. Another plan is to cover the bed with 

 burlap after sowing the seed and water the seed through it: 

 in this latter case, however, it is very important to watch 

 carefully and remove the cloth covering as soon as the plants 

 appear. The seed germinates slowly. The seedlings are quite 



weak and should re- 

 ceive almost constant 

 cultivation. The top 

 should be sheared off 

 once or twice, as re- 

 commended for early 

 celery, to make the 

 plants stocky; they 

 should also be thinned 

 out so that there will 

 forty or fifty plants to the foot of 

 sufficiently large, they should be 

 the field where they are to grow. 

 this way. the plants will be strong 

 if left to crowd one another, they 

 will be weak and poor. Some suc- 

 ers prefer to transplant once to 

 before setting in the field where the 

 mature. This makes the final trans- 

 -White most certain by increasing the fi- 

 brous roots Plum e celery. \y U i [ s no t generally necessary, al- 

 though a good plan under unfavorable conditions. 



Planting. Having good plants, the next thing is to set them 

 so as to get a good crop. It is quite a common practice in 

 some sections to grow celery as a second crop after early peas, 

 lettuce, cabbage or beets. In such a case the plants, perhaps, 

 had better not be set out until the first crop has been gathered; 

 but where only one crop is to be grown the plants may be set 

 as soon as big enough, provided the land is ready. This will 

 generally be the latter part of June or the first of July and for 

 latest use the latter part of July. The land should be 



be not o^v 

 row. When 

 moved to 

 Treated in 

 and stocky: 

 p r o b a b 1 y 

 cessful grow 

 narrow rows 

 crop is to 

 planting Fig . 



65. 



