98 CELERY CULTURE 



short pieces of lath across the top every 6 or 8 feet, 

 or by notched sticks placed over the tops of the 

 boards. A better method of holding the boards to- 

 gether is by the use of double hooks or spanners 

 nearly 8 inches in length and made of heavy galvan- 

 ized wire. These spanners are slipped over the top 

 edges of the boards at intervals of a few feet, and 

 the plants are rigid enough to keep the boards in 

 an upright position. After the boards are all in 

 place it is a good plan to run the double celery hiller 



FIG. 39 PLANET JR. DOUBLE CELERY HILLER 



between the rows and throw a little soil to the lower 

 edges of the boards in order to close any openings. 

 For illustration of the celery hiller see Fig. 39. 



Time Required for Blanching. Ten to twenty 

 days will be required to complete the blanching of 

 the early varieties, but the boards must be kept in 

 position until the crop is removed from the ground, 

 after which they may be used again two or three 

 times during a season. If the celery is allowed to 

 remain in the boards too long after it has reached a 

 marketable stage it loses in weight and flavor and is 



