CELERY. 121 



proved quite successful. The object of any method is 

 to protect from frost, and maintain plant life, for the 

 celery is most healthy when it continues to grow, or, at 

 least, draw moisture through its roots, till it is mar- 

 keted. It is an easy matter to secure growth in good 

 ground, with sunshine and wind and rain, but with the 

 coming of frost the celery must be removed to close 

 quarters. If buried in the row it must be where water 

 will not collect, but where good drainage can be relied 

 upon. With the stalks banked their entire length, a 

 few leaves are left as long as possible exposed, but finally 

 these are covered with straw or manure, at first lightly, 

 then heavily, and then again very heavily, so as to shut 

 out hard frost for a long period. This can be managed so 

 as to allow the celery to be taken out for use from the 

 under side in very cold weather. This method has risks ; 

 one must assume them and trust each night's cold will 

 not freeze the celery, or a day's warmth smother it under 

 too much covering. Another way is to dig a trench one 

 or two feet wide, as deep as the stalks, and on loose 

 earth, scattered in the bottom, place the celery as close 

 together as possible, wetting the earth about the roots. 

 Begin to cover with manure, and increase with frost. 

 But now the celery must be watched, every week it must 

 be examined. If, after a time, leaves lose their green 

 color, wet the roots without wetting the stalks, and 

 watch for rust, dark brown spots, a fungus growth, 

 quick to spread throughout the whole mass of plants. 

 Such stalks must be immediately removed and sent to 

 market; if allowed to remain they will entirely decay 

 and breed disease among all the rest. Absolute protec- 

 tion is claimed against fungus growth by spraying the 

 celery plants with Bordeaux mixture every second day 

 during four weeks preceding their storage. A method 

 of winter storage, by which the risks are largely removed, 

 is to provide boxes twelve inches deep, fill them half full 



