CELERY 



succeeded so well that the quality has been improved 

 and the length of the market season increased to such 

 an extent that instead of finding it for sale only during 

 the fall and winter months, we now have it the greater 

 part of the year. The greater part of the crop is pre- 

 pared for shipping by trimming off the outer stalks 



271 



in bunches of one dozen 

 , and packing in boxes containing from 4 to 8 do 

 according to the size of the roots. The California and 

 some of the Michigan and New York growers ship with 

 the roots on unwashed, and load in refrigerator oars, 

 with two decks put in and the bunches placed on the 

 decks. A car contains by this process from 1,200 to 1,500 

 dozens, while a car loaded with the boxed product con- 

 tains from 1,500 to 2,000 dozens. 



The seeds are very small and slow to germinate. The 

 first leaves are small and digest food slowly, which 

 makes it necessary to have plant-food available at all 

 times during the growth of the plant, so that nature may 

 be assisted in her work of building it up and giving to 

 it a constitution strong enough to resist disease, which 

 sometimes comes in the shape of a fungus which attacks 

 the leaves, and, with the plant in its weak condition, 

 absoi-bs the sap aud destroys the digesting surface of 

 the leaf to such an extent that the outer stalks, and 

 sometimes the inner ones as well, dry up, and the crop 

 is a total loss. Fortunately, the climatic conditions for 

 the development of the fungi do not remain more than 

 3 or 4 days at a time, and, with means for irrigation and 

 with food containing the different materials that the plant 

 desires, this difficulty is successfully met. In Colorado 

 and other parts of the west, they expect to demonstrate 

 that the disease cannot exist, on account of irrigation 

 keeping the pKnt well supplied w'th food tl e large 

 a t of 1 me the <iO 1 conta ns the br ght sunl ght 



an 1 cool n "ht as all these a e to tl e advantage of the 

 plant an 1 a" t he develop nent of f ng 



The so Is best adivte I to tl e plant are c anberry bogs 

 and lo V n ar hes filled w th a depo t of decaj e I vege 

 table mattei from 2 to 15 feet leep wh cl whe Ira ned 

 by open and t le dr mge cleare 1 of trees an I roots 



the surface cut with disk-harrow, smoothed and pulver- 

 ized wi:h common harrow aud roller, are then ready for 

 a crop of corn or millet the first season. The following 

 season the surface is treated with a ton of air-slaked 

 lime to the acre, which is turned under to hasten the 

 decay of the vegetable matter and correct the accumu- 

 lated acidity which abounds from the decay of such 

 large quantities of vegetables. The lime also destroys 

 fungous growth and tends to strengthen the constitution 

 of the plant. The surface is then dressed with a ferti- 

 lizer composed of 1 ton of fine raw bone, 40 bushels of 

 wood ashes, and 500 pounds of salt to the acre. Where 

 barnyard manure can be had, the raw bone is reduced 

 1,000 pounds, and 20 loads of manure are applied. In 

 Florida the amount of bone is increased to 3,000 pounds, 

 and 2111) |inini.N(j( hiu'li-grade potash added and theashes 

 omitti'il. Ill ('..|.ira.|.>. where the soil contains 10 per 

 cent of liiri. , it is „.■! ii.-cessarytouse lime. With ferti- 

 lizers ooiiiaiiiiiiL: 111 |Mi- cent of potash, 4 per cent of 

 nitrogen, and lo liirmii iijiMsphoric acid, applied at the 

 rate of 1 ton to th.- art , , mmI u nh the physical conditions 

 of the land iniininr,! In mining under green crops, 

 such as corn or allalla. si,,i, ., i^ anticipated. Celery 

 is also raised on sanely Immih. but nnloss 50 loads of 

 coarse manure is plowiil uii.lir, hihI water plentifully 

 supplied during growth, .iihci- l.\ lains or irrigation, 

 the crop is poor in quality ami li^'iit in quantity. 



In the north and middle states, the early plants are 

 started on hotbeds March 1, and transplanted in cold- 

 frames March 10-12, then into the open field after May 10. 

 For the late or main crop, the seed is sown in the open 

 ground April 1, aud by June 1 the plants are large 

 enough to cut back to the heart leaves. This makes 

 them stocky and increases the root-growth, and by June 

 10 they are large enough to be removed to the field, 

 where they are cultivated frequently by both horse and 

 hand cultivators. In Florida, plants are all started 

 under a half shade in August, and transplanted under 

 another half shade made by setting posts in the ground, 

 5 feet high and 12 feet apart, on the tops of which a 

 board is nailed, forming a rest or frame, and 3-incb slats 

 nailed on 3 inches apart, thus protecting the beds from 

 the bright sun in day time and cold at night. The plants 

 are removed to the open field after September, and 

 planting is continued until about February 1. In Colo- 

 rado the early plants cannot be grown successfully with 

 glass close to the plants. The bright sun penetrates the 

 soil and takes up the moisture so fast that germination 

 is retarded and takes place very unevenly. By covering 

 the glass with plant cloth tacked on the inside the light 

 3 ubdued and success attamed For the month of 

 Ap 1 beds covered 

 with plant cloth alone "^t. 

 do verj well It is not ^i \ ^ 

 practical to sow late j^jlt 

 plants in the open 

 ground without the 



"/I .7 



' \,\m 



402 A good Celery plant of tl 



403 The Boston ideal 



