Cultural Directions. — 217 



surface soil, using harrow or steel rake. In short make an 

 extremely rich and perfectly mellow seed-bed. Now mark out 

 shallow drills one foot apart, and in these sow the seed, at the 

 rate of one ounce to about 200 feet of row, firming it afterwards 

 thoroughly with the feet. Next smooth the surface by drawing 

 the back of rake lengthwise over each tow, or, holding the rake 

 perpendicularly, handle upwards, pat the ground by pressing or 

 striking the teeth flat and firmly upon the row. Rolling, although 

 not strictly necessary, is, however, a good precaution. A small 

 patch may be kept supplied with moisture by occasional water- 

 ing, by covering with a slatted screen, providing half-shade, or 

 by spreading a piece of cloth directly upon the soil until the 

 seeds have germinated. Water, when required, may in the latter 

 case be given upon the cloth, and soaking through it will provide 

 the soil with moisture. The cloth must be removed as soon as 

 the plants begin to show themselves above ground. 



My own practice differs from this in so far as I grow the 

 plants in my regular vegetable patch. The ground is prepared 

 in the usual way and as required for sowing onions, radishes, 

 lettuce, and similar crops ; marked out with the common garden 

 marker and in same distance as for the other crops. I walk upon 

 the rows to firm the seed, and otherwise treat as above described ; 

 but without shading and rarely watering. The wheel-hoe is 

 promptly and persistently brought into use, and the ground kept 

 loose and free from weeds from the very start. Early thinning 

 is of the utmost importance, and I refer the reader to what is 

 said on this subject in the chapter on " Transplanting and 

 Thinning." Give the plants room enough if you want them to 

 grow large, stocky, and to make strong roots. Narrow the row 

 down with the blades of the wheel-hoe, or slash into them with 

 a hand weeder, until not more than 40 or 50 plants are left 

 standing to the running foot. An occasional light top-dressing 

 of nitrate of soda (in its absence perhaps of saltpetre, preferably 

 in solution) will do wonders in giving you rapid growth of theplants. 

 Once or twice the tops may be cut back with a sharp sickle 

 or knife, to induce still increased stockiness, and by the time the 

 plants are wanted for setting out, you will have a stock that for 

 its excellence must astonish people accustomed only to see and 

 handle the average plants of the professional plant grower. I 

 have not yet seen a place so far back that a few thousand good 

 celery plants could not find ready sale amongst neighbors and 

 towns-people at 50 cents per 100, or ^4 per 1,000. I can grow 

 them profitably even at a lower figure. 



Southern people who need their plants so much later, 

 namely, in September or October, generally depend on northern- 

 grown plants. To supply this demand the seed should be 

 sown toward the end of May. A somewhat shady, moist piece 



