34 



SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



and have a tendency to cause the production of seed stalks. The late crop 

 should have more space and it is not uncommon to allow four to five feet 

 between rows, the distance depending upon the method to be used in 

 blanching. 



The mulching system of celery culture makes the early crop much more 

 certain. The plan includes a mulch of three to five inches of fresh horse 

 manure placed between the rows immediately after the plants are set out. 



This conserves soil 

 moisture, prevents 

 weed growth, renders 

 tillage unnecessary and 

 supplies food to the 

 plants after each rain. 

 Boards are used 

 almost entirely for 

 blanching the early 

 crop. They are placed 

 along both sides of the 

 rows and held in place 

 by any convenient de- 

 vice at hand. From 

 ten days to two weeks 

 are required to blanch 

 the crop. The boards 

 may be used over and 

 over again; with care 

 they will last fifteen 

 years. 



The late crop is 

 blanched by means of 

 ridging with earth. 

 This work should not 

 begin until the cooler 

 weather arrives in 

 early September. The 

 work of ridging pro- 

 ceeds until about the 



middle of October and commercial growers begin to store the crop soon 

 after the first of November. Various methods of storage are in common 

 use. One of the best is to dig trenches ten or twelve inches wide and not 

 quite as deep as the height of the plants. The plants are placed close to- 

 gether in the trenches and covered with boards, which are nailed together in 

 the form of a trough. The boards afford ample protection until freezing 

 weather occurs and then additional covering is provided by placing 



GOOD CELERY WELL PREPARED FOR MARKET.* 



1 Courtesy of Department of Horticulture, Pennsylvania State College. 



