l82 MAKING HORTICULTURE PAY 



field by putting a little earth in the bottom and 

 packing as above. Boxes should be about as high 

 as the celery. These can be carried and stored in 

 the cellar. 



" It is an aid to keeping if a part of the leaves are 

 trimmed off before digging. This can be done with 

 a sickle by clipping off both sides of the row. Pack 

 the different varieties separately, as the white sorts 

 are ready to use first." 



PREPARING CELERY FOR MARKET 



" The cleaning and dressing of celery should be 

 done in the cellar or pit," continues Mr. Smith. 

 " First hold the head in the left hand with the root 

 toward you and with the other hand pull off the 

 outside leaves, using the thumb mostly, turning the 

 head at the same time from right to left so the part 

 that is stripped off will be up, giving you a chance 

 to see what is done. When the head has been 

 worked once around it should be finished. Then 

 turn the root from you and cut off to a point, mak- 

 ing four to six cuts to a head, cutting from you as 

 if whittling a stick to a point. The knife is held 

 in the hand all the time. When two are working 

 together, I usually have one clean off the waste 

 and lay the head down for the other to trim the 

 roots. All yellow, decayed, or green stalks should 

 be removed, even if the heads are left a little small 

 by so doing, as a medium-size, well-blanched head 

 will sell better than the same head with one or two 

 green stalks still on it. 



" My washing room is in the basement of the 

 packing house, where I have a large kettle in a 

 brick furnace for heating water, a box tub with 

 plug hole in bottom for washing, and a table for the 



