GEL 



[215] 



GEL 



Thoroughly well water, and in the course 

 of a week after planting, the earth should 

 be carefully stirred over the whole hed. 



The plants should not be shortened, as 

 many persons do ; but remove any de- 

 cayed or broken leaf, and all side-shoots 

 from the plants, one by one, being care- 

 ful not to injure other leaves, or the 

 roots. 



Earthing up. The first earthing up 

 should be done with a small trowel, 

 holding the leaves of the plant together 

 in one hand, and stirring and drawing up 

 a little earth to the plant with the other ; 

 the next earthing is done by the help of 

 two light boards, six to eight inches 

 broad, of the same length as the trench 

 is wide ; these to be placed between two 

 of the rows of plants by two persons ; 

 then place between these boards well- 

 broken earth as much as required ; draw 

 up the boards steadily ; do the same in 

 the next space, and so on until the work 

 is completed. By the last mentioned 

 method of final planting, more than 

 double the quantity can be grown on a 

 given space of ground, and the 

 heads are quite as fine as in the 

 single-trench system. It is also 

 handy for protection in winter, 

 either with hoops and mats, or 

 litter. 



The trench being dug out four 

 and a half feet wide, allows room 

 for six plants across it, at six 

 inches apart from plant to plant, 

 leaving three inches' space from 

 the outside of the trench. 



Frost. At the appearance of 

 very severe weather setting in at 

 any time during the winter 

 months, three or four dozen heads of the 

 celery may be taken up without cutting 

 away any part of them, and laid in 

 dry earth, sand, or sifted coal ashes, so 

 as to be handy for immediate use. 



Manuring. In the seed-bed, when 

 pricked out, and in the bed for final 

 growth, too much of the richest manure 

 cannot be applied. Upon this, and upon 

 the roots being uninjured at each removal, 

 depend the fineness and excellence of 

 the celery ; any cheek to its growth is 

 never recovered but renders it dwarf 

 and stringy. Liquid manure should be 

 given to it frequently. 



To save Seed. Some plants must be 

 left where grown, or in February or 

 March some may be carefully taken up, 

 and after the outside leaves are cut off, 

 and all laterals removed, planted in a 

 moist soil a foot apart. Those which are 

 most solid, and of a middling size are to 

 be selected. When they branch for seed, 

 they must be tied early to a stake to pre- 

 serve them from the violence of winds. 

 The flower appears in June, and the seed 

 is swelling in July ; if dry weather oc- 

 curs, they should be watered every other 

 night. In August the seed will be ripe, 

 and when perfectly dry, may be rubbed 

 out and stored. 



Diseases. In heavy wet soil it is 

 liable to have its stalks split and canker. 

 The soil for earthing up cannot be too 

 light and dry. We have seen coal ashes 

 employed for the purpose most success- 

 fully. 



CELERY FLY (Tephri'tis onopordi'nis). 

 In the autumn it is very common to 

 observe part of the leaves of celery plants 

 blistered and turned yellow ; and this oc- 



curs occasionally to such an extent that 

 their growth is checked and their size 

 diminished. If the withered parts are 

 examined, and the skin of the blisters is 

 raised, there will be found beneath it 

 some small green grubs,* that have eaten 

 away all the green pulp (parenchyma) of 

 the parts so withered. These grubs are 

 the larvae of the Celery Fly. The grubs 

 may be found in the leaves of the celery 

 in June, July, September, October, and 

 November ; for there are two or more 

 broods of them in the course of the year. 

 The grubs, though less frequently, are 

 found doing similar damage to the leaves 



