■270 



CELEEY 



CELERY 



flelf-blanching ana beautiful, and it has been claimed 

 that this variety surpasses all others as a table decora- 

 tion. Leaf-stalk below the lower pair of leaflets 8 to 10 

 inches long, ] to 2 inches in circumference, light green, 

 becoming pure white when blanched, ridges 9, flbrovas- 

 ■cular bundles 13 imbedded in green cells; leaflets large, 

 borne on slender divisions of the main stalk, turning 

 light colored and sometimes nearly pure white when the 



399. Celery plant trimmed lor market. 



plants approach maturity. This variety often requires 

 artificial ripening to reduce the strong flavor, in addition 

 to what is necessary to whiten the stalks. 



The Pink Plume is a nearly related variety, having 

 reddish stalks but is hardly equal to the preceding kind. 



Boston Market. — An old variety, that has been grown 

 in the vicinity of Boston since about 1850. Plants low and 

 spreading, very dark green and glossy, forming numer- 

 ous secondary crowns, leaf-stalks short and .stout, ridges 

 9 or 11, with shallow furrows between them, fibrovascular 

 bundles 13 or 15, imbedded in green cells; leaflets thick, 

 rounded in outline, deeply cleft, serrations shallow, each 

 terminating in a whitish point. There is a constriction 

 where the lower pair of leaflets unite with the stalk, and 

 the stalk is lighter colored here than elsewhere; above 

 this point the central stalk tapers rapidly to the end. 



The Early Arlington celery is a sub-variety of the 

 Boston Market. 



Oolden fi'eaj-i. — A popular kind before the introduc- 

 tion of the self -blanching varieties, but now placed in 

 the background with the Golden Half Dwarf, White 

 Solid, Schumacher, Perle le Grande, and Alpha. 



Hose.'— A. tall, red variety, better known than any other 

 kind of this class. It was introduced in 1886 by Peter 

 Henderson, but it never has been extensively grown for 

 market. Leaf-stalk red or purplish, 10 to 15 inches 

 long, IM to 2 inches in circumference, ridges 9, fibro- 

 vascular bundles 13; leaflets dull green, thin, and the 

 edges inclined to turn upward ; the whole plant tall, 

 slender and rather hard to blanch. The young stalks 

 retain the red color when blanched, and are exception- 

 Ally attractive in appearance, crisp, and have the nutty 

 flavor that is so highly prized in choice celery. It was 

 formerly supposed that the red varieties of celery kept 

 better than the others, but the supposition does not seem 

 to be well founded. 



Other varieties of this class are the Crimson Bouquet, 

 Pink Aromatic, and Convent Garden Rose. 



Giant PfflScaZ. — This variety is peculiarly adapted to 

 the production of a large amount of edible matter. The 

 stalks are of the largest size, tender, and never pungent, 

 even before they are blanched ; grown both in private 

 gardens and for market. Leaf-stalks very large, long 

 and thick, generally with 12 flattened ridges and 16 

 fibrovascular bundles; leaflets dark green, thick, deeply 

 cleft and coarsely serrate. Plants with full centers and 

 usually without secondary crowns. 



Although the variety is much, the value and appear- 

 ance of the plant depend much upon the growing. There 

 are different ideals in different parts of the country. 

 In the west, a plant of the type of Pig. 402 is wanted. 

 About Boston, a broad-based and thick-set plant (ob- 

 tained by much transplanting and less crowding) is 

 demanded (Fig. 403). 



Fertilizers.— Celery rarely makes satisfactory growth 

 on land of ordinary fertility; it is a crop that must have 

 liberal treatment to yield good returns. Organic ferti- 

 lizers rich in nitrogen are mainly used, although gener- 

 ally in market-gardens these are supplemented with pot- 

 ash and other salts. It is customary to apply the organic 

 fertilizers in a decomposed condition and plow them in 

 before the plants are set. Later, when the plants are 

 about half grown, some commercial fertilizer is scattered 

 along the rows before each hoeing. It is important that 

 the fertilizers used should not make the land too porous. 

 They should increase its capacity for holding moisture, 

 and not hasten evaporation. When coarse, light manures 

 must be used for this crop, it is better to place them on 

 the surface as a mulch than to plow them in. 



Diseases. — Of diseases, there are two or three serious 

 blights or rusts, but there are no widespread and serious 

 insect depredators. (See Duggar, Bull. 132, Cornell 

 Exp. Sta., and reports from stations in Conn., N. Y. 

 (state), N. J., Dept. Agric, etc.) The best general 

 treatment is to start with healthy seed on land which 

 has not bred the disease, and then spray early and fre- 

 quently with Bordeaux mixture, or other fungicide. 

 The treatment should all be done early in the life of 

 the crop. 



STORiNa.— If celery is to be kept for winter use, it 

 must be cool and moist. It is usually set out again, so 

 that the roots take sufScient hold upon the earth to pre- 

 vent the plant from wilting. For home use, the plants 

 may be set in an old shoe case, in which there are a few 

 inches of earth in the bottom, the top of the box being 

 left uncovered. If the box is as deep as the height of 

 the Celery, holes should be made in the side of the box 

 to admit of ventilation. The box may now be kept in a 

 cool cellar. Taking similar precautions, Celery may be 

 stored in barrels in 

 the cellar. For mar- 

 ket. Celery may be 

 set in trenches, as 

 shown in Fig. 397. 

 Two boards are then 

 leaned over the 

 plants, to form a ga 

 ble roof; and as cold 

 weather approaches, 

 straw is thrown on 

 top. In large celery 

 areas, however, the 

 crop is now stored in 

 sheds or cellars made 

 for the purpose. In 

 these sheds, the cel- 

 ery is planted out, 

 and the temperature 

 is kept above hard 

 frost. Pull discussion of this method will be found 

 under Storing. 



For further information, see Greiner's "Celery for 

 Profit"; Vaughan's "Celery Manual"; Van Bochove's 

 "Kalamazoo Celery"; HoUister's "Livingston's Celery 

 Book." £,. p. KiNNBT. 



CoMMEKOiAL Celery Chltdre.— The increasing de- 

 mand for this delicious vegetable has interested both the 

 gardener and farmer in studying its needs. They have 



400. Celery crate. 



