BLANCHING CELERY 



139 



left exposed. This first handling and banking is usually done 

 when the plants are about a foot high. In the case of trench-grown 

 plants, some handling may be necessary before the trench is filled. 

 As the plants grow, additional earth must be placed upon the 

 bank and drawn up close to the plants in order that they may be 

 blanched nearly to the tips (Figs. 83 and 84). A cultivator or a 

 one-horse plow may be used to loosen up the dirt to be used in 



.. du- fr 



field. 



banking. There are also special celery hillers in use which greatly 

 facilitate the operation of banking. Banking can also be much 

 more readily done in a soil containing an abundance of sand in a 

 moist condition than in an ordinary silt or clay loam, for a bank 

 of moist, sandy soil can be made to retain its position much like 

 a founder's moulding sand. 



Sometimes, instead of being blanched in the field, late celery 

 intended for winter storage is allowed to remain green until the 



