JUNE: FOURTH WEEK 163 



rapidly, with one or two light dressings of nitrate of soda to 

 speed it up. As the plants get taller, a little earth should be 

 worked toward the rows with the horse hoe or wheel hoe. 

 Then the important work of blanching begins. 



The first step is to maintain the plants in an upright posi- 

 tion of growth. This can be done by working the earth 

 round the plants with one hand while holding the stalks 

 together with the other. No attempt is made in this opera- 

 tion to cover the stalks; the purpose is merely to keep the 

 outside leaves from spreading out fiat, as they would do if 

 left to themselves, so that when the blanching is undertaken 

 it will be easier, and the bunches of stalks, being compact, 

 wiU keep the soil from getting into the heart of the plants. 



Blanching for Early Use 



In the home garden, up to the time of storing celery for 

 winter only a few plants will be wanted at a time, and the 

 easiest and best method of blanching is by using a metal 

 collar with paper bands made for the purpose. The metal 

 collar is clamped about the plant, holding the stalks to- 

 gether, the paper tube is sHpped over it, and the metal 

 piece is drawn out, leaving the plant neatly held in a tight 

 paper casing. A dozen or two stalks can be quickly blanched 

 at a time by this method. The paper tubes, which cost 

 about a cent and a half apiece, will last, with care, for sev- 

 eral seasons. Short pieces of drain tile may be used in the 

 same way, but they are much harder to put on, clumsy to 

 store and will not give so satisfactory results. 



For blanching with earth, which seems to give a little 

 more crispness and flavor than any of the other methods, 

 the soil should be thoroughly loosened up between the rows 

 and worked up to the plants as high as possible with the 

 cultivator or hoe. Then it must be drawn up or banked up 

 with the spade so that the stalks are covered clear to the 

 top leaves, excluding all light. This should be done only 

 when the plants are dry, though the soil banks much better 

 when it is fairly moist. Only that part of the crop which is 



