SALAD CROP PROJECTS 133 



1. What are the most important points to keep in mind when 

 cultivating celery? W : 132. W-\'G : 314. C : 199. 



17. Mulching. — An increasing practice among growers of 

 celery, especially the early crop, is to mulch the ground with 

 fresh horse manure as soon as possible after the plants have been 

 set in the field. Ordinarily, the rows are two feet apart and the 

 plants five to six inches apart in the row. The fresh horse manure, 

 if heating, should be spread in layers about a foot deep, or in 

 loose piles, until it has cooled off. It should then be spread four 

 or five inches deep between the rows, which will require forty or 

 fifty tons to the acre. Such a heavy mulch of manure will supply 

 fertility to the plants after every rain or application of water, con- 

 serve soil moisture more effectively than the most perfect tillage, 

 and practically prevent all weed growth. In brief, it is one of the 

 most certain guarantees against a failure of this profitable garden 

 crop. 



1. What are the benefits of mulching celery with manure ? 



W-VG : 314. 



2. What are the best directions for mulching ? W-VG : 314. 



3. What other materials may be svbstituted for manure in mulching f 



W-VG : 314. 



18. Blanching. — American markets demand well-blanched 

 celery. The light-colored stalks are obtained by forcing the 

 plants to grow in darkness or subdued light. In the absence of 

 full light, the coloring matter of the green stalks is destroyed and 

 additional chlorophyll or coloring matter cannot be formed to any 

 considerable extent. Blanching also improves the quality of the 

 celery by making it more crisp and tender. 



Early celery is always blanched in the field where it is growing, 



