1 888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



5' 



planted in rows, perhaps eight feet long, 

 a strong stake was placed at each end, and 

 a small rope wound in and out as in the 

 Illustration. 



If any reader knows of a better way than 

 this tor managing such plants we would 

 like to have them report it in these columns. 



On the Cultivation of Celery. 



MANSFIELD MILTON. MAHONING CO., O. 



The culture of Celery ■svithin the last 



decade has been greatly siniplifled. Instead 



of being planted 



with the niiuiure 



placed in the bot- 

 tom of the trench, 



it is now planted 



on the surface after 



the manure is 



thoroughly incor- 

 porated with the 



soil, the same as 



we do in general 



vegetable and fruit 



growing, 

 Stautixg the 



Plants. The seeds 



of Celery being very 



small require the 



seed-bed to be well 



pulverized before 



sowing. A position 



sheltered from cut- 

 ting winds and not 

 too much exposed 



to the hot sun is the 



best for the seed- 

 bed. Thoroughly 

 incorporate in the 

 soil a heavy appli- 

 cation of well rot- 

 ted barnyard dung, 

 making the earth's Pii'i: <i'<'"i Cck'-ies: Ooldeii 

 surface as smooth as possible, and if of a 

 very retentive nature a good mixture of 

 sand and muck or leaf mould should be used. 

 The surface of the soil once in good condi- 

 tion, sow carefully in shallow drills, beating 

 along the row with the back of a spade, 

 making the soil firm and compact around 

 the seeds in order to insure vegetation. I 

 find where it is practical that a shading 

 from evergreen boughs placed on the bed 

 insures a more rapid vegetation than when 

 left entirely exposed. 



As soon as the seedlings can be seen, stir 

 the surface of the soil to prevent all weeds 

 starting and to encourage a rapid growth 

 of the young Celery plants. Should the 

 weather be dry, water sufficiently to wet the 

 soil to the very ends of the roots. 



In late and northerly locations, where 

 ground cannot be worked much before the 

 first of May for early Celery, it is necessary 

 to start the seeds in a nearly spent hotbed, 

 and transplant as soon as the plants get 

 large enough to handle; where only a few 

 dozens of plants are wanted, they could be 

 raised by sowing the seeds in a box and 

 transplanting, when large enough, in some 

 sheltered corner where the soil has been 

 previously well prepared. 



Preparing the Soil. There is no use 

 trying to grow a paying crop without 

 heavily manuring with well rotted manure 

 thoroughly mixed with the soil. The plan 

 I adopt with my Celery groimd is to first 

 plow in a good heavy coating of manure, 

 then I apply another coating of thoroughly 

 rotted manure on the surface, harrow and 

 cultivate to perfection before planting the 

 crop. No half-way measure with tliis crop 

 is allowed. 



Setting out the Plants. In preparing 

 the plants for setting out, about a week 

 before planting I go over the seed bed and 

 cut the tops of the leaves off, then, if possi- 

 ble, select a cloudy day, dig up the plants 

 and set them out within as short a time as 



possililefor the roots to be out of the ground. 

 When planting, care should be taken to 

 pack the soil llrinly around the roots. 

 Unless this is done new roots cannot be 

 readily formed. The distance apart for the 

 r<iws depends a good deal upon the variety 

 planted. The self-bleaching kinds can be 

 Iilanted as close as S\i to 4 feet, while in 

 order to get sufficient soil to bleach the 

 green kinds a distance of f> feet is neces- 

 sary. The self-bleachiug kinds require, 

 however, soil placed around the plants the 



Dirarf, Wliitr S'lUil, Hniileivn 



same as the green kinds 



good flavor. They do not require as much, 



it being only necessary" to keep the leaves 



upright and close together. 



To insure a rapid growth the ground 

 between the rows should be well worked 

 and not a single weed allowed to appear. 

 Thorough, but not deep cultivation, after 

 the plants have made a good growth, will 

 carry them through a dry period better 

 than watering unless sufficient can be given 

 them to soak the soil around the roots. 



Drawing soil up around the plants for the 

 purpose of blanching them should not be 

 done until they have made a good strong 

 growth. If started too early it retards the 

 growth and during hot weather rust is apt 

 to appear upon early banked-up Celery. 

 What is wanted for early use should be 

 banked nearly to the end of the leaves, but 

 what is wanted late should only have suffi- 

 cient soil put up against the plants to keep 

 them m an upright position. Celery should 

 only be handled when dry, for when wet it is 

 liable to rust. 



Storage. Celery should be stored for 

 winter before it has received frost severe 

 enough to injure the leaves. \Miile it will 

 endure a good sharp frost without getting- 

 killed outright it only takes a few degrees 

 to injure the leaves sufficiently to prevent 

 their keeping well. Where large quantities 

 are stored, cellars for the purpose should be 

 used; these should be so constructed that 

 on all good days plenty of air can be given 

 to prevent damping and rotting of the 

 leaves, and still moist enough to keep the 

 plants in a good, healthy, condition. A 

 temperature not to exceed 40" should be 

 uniformly maintained. 



Celer>' can also be kept in trenches suc- 

 cessfully. These should be dug in some 

 place where the water can drain off freely; 

 they should be about eighteen inches wide 

 and deep enough to allow the top of the 

 plants to be below the surface of the soil 



when packed. When packing the plants 

 place them as close together as possible 

 without bruising them. Place over the 

 trenches boards, on the top of which can be 

 placed straw or leaves sufficient to keep out 

 frost. I keep a good many thousands in this 

 way every year, sometimes to the middle of 

 April. Hats and mice are frequently de- 

 structive in these trenches by cutting and 

 eating the Celery. In small quantities it 

 can be packed in boxes close together, with 

 sand or soil placed over and under the roots, 

 the boxes stored in 

 a cool part of the 

 cellar, and care 

 taken that the 

 plants do not get 

 too dry, but at the 

 same time use care 

 in not wetting the 

 foliage as it causes 

 decay. A great con- 

 venience in water- 

 ing the roots of 

 Celery stored in 

 boxes is to have a 

 few holes near the 

 bottom on the sides, 

 into which thewater 

 can be poured with- 

 out wetting the foli- 

 age, a watering-can 

 being a handy arti- 

 cle for this purpose. 

 Marketing. In 

 different sections of 

 the country differ- 

 ent methods are 

 adopted in putting 

 Celery up for mar- 

 ket. With us and 

 through most of the 

 Half-Dwarf, Large Rilibed, nimliin Marhet. West it is put up in 

 to give them a bunches of one dozen or half dozen heads : 

 sometimes when it is poor we often see from 

 fifteen to eighteen heads tied together and 

 sold for what they will bring Good 

 Celery, well trimmed and well cleaned, put 

 up in bunches of twelve heads, always com- 

 mand a good price in all cities of any size, 

 especially in manufacturing cities; but 

 poorly blanched or rusty Celery is always 

 at a discount. 



In cleaning Celery we strip off all outside 

 leaves, then cut the root off, leaving the 

 base in a pointed form; this is more at- 

 tractive than when cut straight across. We 

 iise a brush with long bristles when wash- 

 ing, being always careful to have it thor- 

 oughly cleaned. In tying we use two strings, 

 one near the base and one near enough to 

 the top to keep the leaf stalks straight. 



Varieties. There are a great many va- 

 rieties of Celery in cultivation;thedwarf and 

 half-dwarf kinds being the most suitable 

 for general culture. They are generally 

 conceded to be of better flavor and of easier 

 cultivation than the tall kinds. 



Hendcrson'f Half-Diiurf is a standard 

 Celery and probably one of the best flavored 

 in cultivation. It has a strong, compact 

 habit and is a good winter keeper. 



(ioJrhn Dwarf is one of the best keepers 

 during winter. I have kept this variety as 

 late as May in good condition. Its flavor is 

 good, nutty and crisp. 



Tl'/iitc Solid can be grown to a large size 

 and is one of the most solid growing kinds. 

 Lanjc Ribbed is a strong grower, of good 

 flavor, when not grown too fast, but w-hen 

 fed too strongly with liquid manure, is 

 liable to be soft and the stalks hollow. 



Boxtiin Market is still largely grown by 

 market gardeners in the east. It is a re- 

 markably fine flavored, nutty variety. It is 

 one of the very best white Celeries. 



Wliitr Pluiiir. The introduction of this 

 renuirkable variety was a new era in Celery 

 culture, and Mr, Henderson, had he only 



