Growing and Blanching Celery 11 



a part of the roots must be destroyed in moving the 

 plants from the nursery rows, it is well to remove some 

 of the outer leaves to, in a measure, reestablish the 

 equilibrium between the evaporating surfaces — the 

 leaves — and the absorbing surfaces — the roots. 



The soil should receive shallow surface cultivation, 

 repeated after each shower, around the plants and 

 between the rows, until the temperature is low enough to 

 begin the process of blanching. This must be done 

 gradually, commencing with what is known as "hand- 

 ling." The soil between the rows is loosened with the 

 plow and moved toward, but not against, the plants. 

 Each plant is then handled as follows: With one hand 

 the leaf -stalks are grasped and all gently pressed to- 

 gether to train them into a compact, upright position, 

 while, with the other hand, the soil is drawn around the 

 plant and pressed against it with sufficient force to hold 

 the leaves in their upright position, being careful not to 

 allow the soil to sift between the leaves upon the bud. 

 After the leaves have made sufficient additional growth, 

 the soil is again thrown to them with the plow or hoe. 

 At the approach of cold weather, the soil is still further 

 heaped around the plants and the process finished with 

 the spade or shovel, leaving only the ends of the leaves 

 showing. Before very severe freezing occurs, the whole 

 plant is covered either with sufficient soil to prevent 

 freezing, or leaves or straw are used instead of the soil. 

 In a short time, varying with different varieties, the whole 

 of the leaf-stalks will be blanched and ready for use. 



After a critical examination of fifteen varieties grown 

 under identical conditions, the following are recom- 



