VEGETABLES CELERY. 131 



duce a stocky growth ; plants, thus treated, suffer less on 

 being transplanted. 



Celery may be planted any time from middle of June 

 to middle of August; but the time we most prefer is dur 

 ing July, as there is but little gamed by attempting it 

 early. In fact, I have often seen plants raised in hot-beds 

 and planted out in June, far surpassed both in size and 

 quality by those raised in the open ground and planted 

 a month later. Celery is a plant requiring a cool moist 

 atmosphere, and it is nonsense to attempt to grow it early, 

 in our hot and dry climate ; and even when grown, it is 

 not a vegetable that is ever very palatable until cool 

 weather. This our market experience well proves, for al- 

 though we always have a few bunches exposed, for sale in 

 August and September, there is not one root sold then for 

 a thousand that are sold in October and November. Cel- 

 ery is always grown as a " second crop " by us, that is, it 

 follows after the spring crop of Beets, Onions, Cabbage, 

 Cauliflower, or Peas, which are cleared off and marketed, 

 at latest, by the middle of July ; the ground is then thor- 

 oughly plowed and harrowed. No additional manure is 

 used, as enough remains in the ground, from the heavy 

 coat it has received in the spring, to carry through the 

 crop of Celery. After the ground hus been nicely pre- 

 pared, lines are struck out on the level surface, 3 feet 

 apart, and the plants set 6 inches apart in the rows. If 

 the weather is dry at the time of planting, great care 

 should be taken that the roots are properly "firmed." 

 Our custom is, to turn back on the row, and press by the 

 side of each plant gently with the foot. This compacts 

 the soil and partially excludes the air from the root until 



