320 GARDENING FOB PLEASURE. 



will be hereafter described, all that it requires is the 

 operation of " handling," to straighten it up. If the 

 Celery is to be left in the open ground where it was grown 

 (as it" can be in any section of the country where the ther- 

 mometer does not fall more than fifteen degrees below the 

 freezing point), then a heavy bank must be made on each 

 side of the rows, and as cold weather approaches say 

 by the middle of November an additional covering of 

 at least a foot of leaves or litter must be closely packed 

 against the bank, to protect it from frost. 



Perhaps the best way to keep Celery for family use is 

 in a cellar. This can be done by storing it in narrow 



Fig. 117. " HANDLING 



boxes of a depth a little less than the hight of the Celery. 

 A few inches of sand or soil are placed in the bottom of 

 the box, and the Celery is packed upright, the roots being 

 placed on damp sand or earth at the bottom, but none is 

 to be put between the heads; and be careful not to water 

 the Celery, as, if packed moderately tight, the air will be 

 excluded, so that it will not wilt ; and the roots being 

 on the damp sand or soil at the bottom of the box, the 

 moisture there will sustain them. Boxes thus packed 

 and placed in a cool cellar in November, will be blanched 

 fit for use during January, February, and March, though, 

 for succession, it will be better to put it in the boxes 



