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The earlier crops are usually blanched by the use of 

 boards. Planks from lo to 12 inches wide are set 

 up on either side of the rows and held in place by 

 means of stakes and clips. Sufficient clips are used 

 on the top edge to keep the planks from falling in 

 too close to the plants. Paper and tile are rarely 

 used in the larger fields, but may often be very suc- 

 cessfully employed by the smaller gardeners, and 

 especially in the home garden. After the plants have 



become well 

 grown the stalks 

 are gathered to- 

 gether and tied 

 closely near the 

 top and then 

 wrapped with 

 paper, or a four 

 or five-inch tile 

 is dropped down 

 over the plant 

 after it has been 

 drawn together in the above fashion. Blanching with 

 earth is more popular with the late varieties, and is 

 generally considered to produce celery of greater brit- 

 tleness and tenderness than any of the other methods. 

 This method has the advantage of requiring little out- 

 lay for blanching materials, but does not permit of .the 

 soil being so well occupied as other methods. The 

 earth is thrown up to the plants by means of special 

 hilling tools, usually provided with guides for lift- 

 ing the leaves in such a manner that the soil will push 

 them together without being tied. Two or three hill- 

 ings may be necessary to properly blanch a crop, as 

 growth continues after hilling begins and the soil must 

 be piled up higher in order to blanch the new growth. 



4PJ 



A CHEAP AND SATISFACTORY CELERY 

 STORAGE 



