198 GARDEN FARMING 



will be none too much. If such an application is not possible, and 

 the celery is to be planted in rows 5 or 6 feet apart, before plant- 

 ing is begun manure can be scattered in narrow belts along each row 

 with a manure spreader having a special rowing attachment, and 

 can be worked in with plow or cultivator. When the plants are to 

 be set in rows 3 feet apart or closer, the broadcasting method 

 should be followed. 



When it is not possible to procure stable manure, commercial 

 fertilizers will be found of great value. Fertilizers can be used in- 

 dependently or to supplement a light application of stable manure. 

 When used alone the quantity will depend upon the character of 

 the soil. The rich, moist muck lands of the North, after they have 

 been thoroughly subdued, will require from 1000 to 1500 pounds 

 per acre. Growers should carefully test their soil to determine the 

 quantity of each ingredient that can be safely and economically used. 

 The requirements of different sections will be found to vary with 

 the treatment given, the length of time the area has been in use, 

 and the character of material from which the soil was derived. 

 The muck soils of the North are, as a rule, easily prepared for 

 celery culture, while some of the swamp soils of the South Atlantic 

 States are more difficult to subdue. The difference in the two soil 

 types is due to the material from which they were originally derived. 



Planting. There are three general methods of planting celery, 

 depending upon the locality, the season, the variety grown, and 

 the disposition to be made of the crop. For convenience these 

 methods will be called (i) the narrow- row method, (2) the broad- 

 row method, and (3) the new celery-culture method. 



1 . The narrow-row method of planting is used where land areas 

 are limited, and for most early crops that can be blanched by the 

 use of boards. A common plan is to set the plants at intervals of 

 6 inches, in double rows 6 or 8 inches apart and a space of 3 feet 

 between each double row. In other cases single rows of plants 

 6 inches apart in the row are set at intervals of 3 feet. 



2. The broad-row method is used for autumn crops where the 

 blanching is accomplished by banking the plants with earth. This 

 method differs from the one just described only in the distance 

 between the rows of plants. The usual spacing is 5 or 6 feet, 

 but the plants may be set in either double or single rows. This 



