260 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 
bunch of fibrous roots, and set the plants about three 
inches apart. In May or June set them in rows two or 
three feet apart and six inches apart in the row. 
Soil. Early celery may be grown on upland soil that is 
moist and in good tilth, but the late kind will show its 
best results if grown on deep bottom soil. Fig. 143 is an 
illustration of a celery field in Arlington, Massachusetts. 
The soil has been made by silt deposited by the overflow 
of a creck that flows through the garden district. It is 
rich and deep and contains an abundance of well-decayed 
humus. 
The soil should be spaded or plowed to a depth of 
eight inches. If it does not contain the necessary fertil- 
ity, apply well-decayed barnyard manure at the rate of 
fifteen tons per acre during the preceding fall or early 
in the spring. or use a mixed fertilizer at the rate of 
about one thousand pounds per acre. 
Cultivation. Keep the soil moist with a dust mulch 
by cultivating after every rain. Pull weeds away from 
the plants by hand. 
Blanching with boards. This method is very success- 
ful during the summer. Set boards one inch thick and one 
foot wide against the plant, slanting them slightly inward 
so that the tops of the leaves may be seen above them. 
The boards may be held in place with stakes or wires. 
They should be set when the plants are dry. The celery 
will be ready for use in from ten to fifteen days, de- 
pending upon the season and weather conditions. The 
boards may then be shifted to other rows. 
