114 MARKET GARDENING. 



have increased, under the new and improved system of 

 "flat culture/' the old method of deep trenching having 

 been discarded. A brief description, in way of history, 

 will suffice for the old system, which enlightened gar- 

 deners now never follow : 



The seed was sown in a hotbed in March, and the 

 plants pricked out into temporary beds before final trans- 

 planting to give them greater strength. In June and 

 July, as needed for successive crops, trenches were dug 

 five feet apart, about eight to ten and fifteen inches 

 wide. The soil in the bottom of each trench was thor- 

 oughly and deeply mixed with manure forked in. The 

 plants were set out in the deep trenches at distances of 

 five to six inches apart in the row. The earthing up 

 was much the same as now practiced. 



There can be no fixed date for sowing, which is now 

 done in the open garden or field, the time depending 

 upon the state of the season and location of the planter. 

 Usually, in the latitude of Philadelphia, the ground is 

 fit to receive the seed about April 1st. There need be 

 no particular hurry to get it in very early, except to get 

 the start of weeds and the benefit of spring showers. 

 The seed germinates slowly, is one of the smallest the 

 gardener uses, and the plant, at the beginning, is a frail, 

 tiny little thing. Even small lumps of earth resting 

 upon seeds or plants, at this stage, .will certainly retard, 

 if not effectually prevent, growth. For these reasons 

 the preparation of the ground, previous to sowing, should 

 be done in a more thorough manner than for larger 

 seeds. The soil should be rich from heavy manuring 

 the previous year, or from thoroughly rotted dung, 

 spread over the land to the depth of about an inch. 



The work of preparation and sowing of a celery bed 

 is best done at a time when all the operations will be 

 completed in one day, the manure being spread and 

 worked under before the sun has dried it, and the seed 



