VEGKTABLES CELERY. 187 



heart are naturally white, so that by closing the stalks, 

 either by tying them up with matting or by simply 

 drawing the soil up against the plant and pressing it 

 together with the hands, and again drawing up the soil 

 with the hoe or plow, so as to keep the soil that has been 

 squeezed against the Celery in its place, the work of 

 blanching is completed ; while it is well known that in 

 all other varieties of Celery, in addition to this, the slow 

 and troublesome process of "banking" or "earthing 

 up " with a spade is necessary. Another merit of this 

 variety is that it far excels any known* vegetable as an 

 ornament for the table, the inner leaves being disposed 

 somewhat like an ostrich feather, which suggested its 

 name. It is also, we think, the earliest Celery in culti- 

 vation, and when to all these valuable characteristics is 

 added that its eating qualities are equal to the very best 

 of the older sorts, being crisp, solid and possessing a rich, 

 nutty flavor, it is but little wonder that the White Plume 

 should have secured in so short a time a permanent place 

 in cultivation. It should be stated, however, that this 

 variety never whitens in a young state, and usually only 

 begins to show its self blanching character when the 

 growth begins in the cool weather. When I first sent 

 out the White Plume Celery in 1884, I imagined from its 

 having the stems and leaves white, that it would not 

 keep in winter, and so stated, but, further trial has 

 shown that it keeps nearly as well as any of the other 

 kinds. 



Henderson's Half Dwarf, (See figure 38). Except 

 the Golden Dwarf, this variety is now grown more ex- 

 tensively than any other by the market gardeners who 

 supply the New York markets, and is now found on 

 the tables of all first-class hotels. When blanched it is 

 a yellowish white, making it very ornamental for the 

 table. It is entirely solid and possesses a rich, nutty 

 flavor, while it has much vigor of growth, surpassing 



