Grcwin^ Celery for Profit 



IHl BRIEF account of my method of 

 ISfX growing early celery may be of in ter- 

 ]'" *• est to the readers of The Canadian 

 I Horticulturist. Beginning about the 

 • first of March, a hotbed is prepared. 

 1 Care should be taken that too much 

 . manure is not under the bed. Exces- 

 ] sive heat is not required to germinate 



R. J. BusKell. "Williamsville, Ontario 



put the earth on a week before sowing 

 (to the depth of six inches) to allow 

 weed seeds to germinate. After the 

 celery seeds are sown, I shade the glass 

 with some covering for about a week. 

 Then I remove the covering and air the 

 bed as much as possibly can be done^at 

 that season of the year. , — - 



First Prize Celery at Kingston Horticultural Exhibition 

 It was grown by Mr. Bushell. Note yard-stick at bottom. 



celery seed. It is better to have the 

 seed germinate slowly, as it gives a 

 stouter plant and one less liable to 

 dampen off. 



About two weeks after the hotbed is 

 first started, I sow the seed. I usually 



I seldom water the bed. The earth 

 is usually moist enough until the second 

 leaf is formed. Too much water, exces- 

 sive heat and insufficient ventilation 

 are causes for damping off After the 

 plants have attained a growth of about 



two inches, I transplant into a fairly 

 warm bed, allowing between 300 and 

 400 for each sash. By May 24 the 

 plants are ready for the field. 



My soil is a loamy one with a tendency 

 to clay. To this I give a liberal dressing 

 of cow manure the fall previous to 

 planting. In the spring I find the 

 manure is well incorporated with the 

 soil. I do not trench my celery, but 

 plant on the level in rows three feet 

 apart, and plants six inches apart in the 

 rows. Two hours before removing the 

 plants from the hotbed, I water freely 

 and remove the plants with a good ball 

 of earth to each root. I press this 

 firmly in my hand. By so doing, plants 

 receive but very little set-back. 



I start to set my plants out in the 

 field about three o'clock in the afternoon 

 and continue till dark, which gives the 

 plants a chance to take hold during the 

 night, and they are better able to resist 

 the sun of the following day. If the 

 weather is dry, I water before and after 

 planting, and do so every three days 

 till the plants are well under way. 



When the plants are about a foot high, 

 I give a light cultivating. After which, 

 I remove all the weeds between them 

 and continue cultivating every fortnight 

 until the plants are high enough for 

 bleaching (which should be about the 

 latter part of July) for which I use 

 boards from twelve to fifteen inches 

 high. The crop should be ready for 

 market about the middle of August. 



My late crop for winter receives the 

 same treatment as the preceding, but, 

 of course, the seed is sown later and the 

 plants set out in the field later. Give 

 particular attention to seed selection. 



TKe Fruit Lands of tKe OKanagan 



The third of a series of articles on fruit gro-wing in British Columbia, -written by a staff representative of The 

 Canadian Horticulturist, -who recently visited the leading fruit districts of that province. 



THE name, the "Okanagan Valley," 

 is applied usually to the land lying 

 south of Sicamous Jet. (on the 

 main line of the C.P.R.), bordering on 

 I tie vSpallumcheen River, and the land 

 '11 both sides of Okanagan Eake as far 

 lUth as Penticton. Such well-known 

 1 uit sections as Enderby, Armstrong, 

 X'ernon, Coldstream Ranch, Kelowna, 

 I'cachland, Sumnierland. and Penticton, 

 ire situated in this district. 



It has been only during the past few 

 \ears that land in this district has 

 !)ecome extensively known. Fruit has 

 been grown in some of these sections for 

 the past fifteen years, but it is only 



recently that proper attention has been 

 given to its development The nature 

 of the soil varies from a light clay loam 

 at the northern end of the valley to a 

 sandy loam and silt at the southern end. 

 There is a marked difference in the 

 rainfall in different parts of the valley. 

 Irrigation is seldom required on the 

 land lying between Sicamous and Ver- 

 non. The nature of the soil is such 

 that it retains the moisture longer than 

 the more sandy land at the lower end 

 of the valley where irrigation is neces- 

 sary. 



TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES 



The transportation of the fruit is by 



the Canadian Pacific Railway. Two 

 steamers, the Okanagan and the Aber- 

 deen (the former built this year), 

 owned by the C.P.R. Co., give a daily 

 service during the summer from Pen- 

 ticton to Okanagan Landing and return, 

 calling at Summerland, Peachland, Gel- 

 lattley, Kelowna and other ports. The 

 Aberdeen is used mostly for freight and 

 makes irregular trips as business re- 

 quires. At Okanagan Landing the fruit 

 is transferred to C.P.R. fruit cars, that 

 are placed on the wharf beside the 

 steamers; from Okanagan Landing the 

 fruit cars are taken on fast trains through 

 Vernon and Armstrong up to the 



JL 



