26 CELERY CULTURE 



quantities of fertilizers. Many do not apply more 

 than $30 worth an acre each year, but this is a seri- 

 ous mistake and a heavier application would prove 

 profitable. Twenty tons of barnyard manure an 

 acre every two or three years, and i to 2 tons 

 of high-grade fertilizers every year will produce 

 good results. The land should be planted to some 

 renovating crop once in four years, and if this crop 

 is turned under to serve as green manure the ap- 

 plication of 30 to 40 bushels of quicklime to the 

 acre should follow in order to sweeten the soil. If 

 barnyard manure is not available for use in growing 

 the home supply of celery, it will be well to secure 

 a good grade of commercial fertilizer that contains 

 about 8 per cent, nitrogen, 6 per cent, phosphoric 

 acid, and 8 per cent, potash, and apply a little more 

 than two quarts to each rod ( 16^/4 feet) of row to 

 be planted, working the fertilizer into a strip of soil 

 12 to 18 inches in width. The fertilizer should be 

 applied to the soil several days before setting out 

 the plants. 



Time for Applying Fertilizers. — The time for ap- 

 plying fertilizers depends entirely upon the charac- 

 ter of the soil and the solubility of the fertilizer. 

 On porous soils it would not be advisable to apply 

 high-grade fertilizers very much in advance of 

 planting, but on retentive soils an early applica- 

 tion may be made with safety. It is always best to 

 apply barnyard or stable manure some time in ad- 

 vance of planting, a whole year not being too long 

 in many cases. As a rule bone meal, untreated 

 phosphate rock, and all slowly available ingredients 



