CELERY. 135 



in boxes. As soon as the first tier is filled, erect another 

 board division at nine inches from the first, and so on, until 

 the whole surface is covered. No soil or sand is packed 

 among the stalks of celery, but three or four inches of either 

 is placed on the floor, into which the roots are bedded. The 

 temperature of the celery should be kept very low, and even a 

 little frost in the cellar will not hurt it. If dry, it must be 

 watered, but water must not be put upon the leaves, as it may 

 bring on rot. If celery is wanted for immediate use, it may 

 be stored in barrels or troughs containing an inch or two of 

 water. This is also a very good way of hastening the bleach- 

 ing process. 



The green stalks of celery do not become white, and the 

 term '"bleaching" is a misnomer. The ''bleaching" of celery 

 is simply the result of the plant making growth in the dark, 

 and bleached celery will keep but a short time and should be 

 used as soon as whitened. Celery for use in the latter part of 

 winter should be quite green in color when put into winter 

 storage; for early winter use it should be partly bleached when 

 stored. For winter use, celery should be left out as late as is 

 safe in the fall, so that the cellar or pit where it is to be stored 

 may be thoroughly cooled off before it is put in. 



The time required for bleaching celery in the field will depend 

 upon whether it is growing rapidly or not. During the first 

 of September, when celery is making a rapid growth, it will 

 probably be fit to use in three weeks from the time it is banked 

 up; while later on, when the weather is cool and the celery is 

 growing slowly, four weeks will be found necessary. The 

 same conditions affect the bleaching process after storing. In 

 an ordinary frost proof cellar, it may easily be bleached in 

 three weeks by watering it and then raising the temperature to 

 fifty degrees. 



Celery seed is raised by wintering the roots and planting 

 them out in the spring, in much the same way that seed of the 

 carrot and other biennial plants is grown. 



Diseases. There are two diseases that sometimes seriously 

 injure celery, but the are not commonly very troublesome. 

 As a rule, celery growers do not attempt to fight them, but 

 select the healthiest varieties and trust to good cultivation to 



