146 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



frost and moisture. The covering over of a 

 day's consumption is merely removed with 

 a fork so much farther on to the bed, and 

 this takes place from day to day. When, 

 however, severe frost sets in, the whole of 

 the ridges are covered over in the same 

 manner ; but the protection is removed 

 on the recurrence of favourable weather, 

 in order that the plants should not suffer 

 from being too closely excluded from the 

 atmosphere." 



Soil and manure. — From the nature of 

 this plant, the soil is of little consequence to 

 it, except just that into which the roots are 

 running ; and this is in general prepared 

 for them, as will be seen from what has 

 been said above regarding the formation 

 of the trenches, which, we repeat, cannot 

 be made too rich with well-decayed ma- 

 nure. "We avoid, however, rank dung, 

 such as is used by the market-gardeners 

 around London, which has a tendency, 

 while it enables the plants to attain a large^ 

 size, to render them, as they mostly are; 

 tough and woolly. We use very decayed 

 manure, and, until earthing up takes 

 place, supply the roots with liquid ma- 

 nure poured in amongst them, and after- 

 wards by the subterranean irrigation also 

 noticed above ; and the best manure we 

 have found for this purpose is guano, 

 with a little salt added, or water richly 

 impregnated with soot or pigeons' dung. 



Taking the crop and subsequent preserva- 

 tion. — Always begin at one end of a row 

 or bed, taking the plants up by the roots, 

 and carefully avoiding bruising the stems 

 or breaking the leaves. Cut the roots off, 

 and bury them in the trench, but remove 

 the plant otherwise entire to the vegetable- 

 house. Remove the loose outer leaves, 

 and lay them by themselves, to be washed 

 clean, should they be required for soups. 

 The best parts of them, being cut out and 

 cleanly washed, are sufficiently good for 

 the stock-pot, or for flavouring soup 

 given in large quantities to the poor — 

 a mode of disposing of the fragments 

 of kitchen stuff we would like to see, 

 more generally practised. The centre 

 and solid part of the head should be 

 carefully examined, and every portion 

 that appears to be discoloured removed ; 

 and when washed quite clean, they shoidd 

 be dipped in clean salt-water, to dislodge 

 any small worms which, in mild winters, 

 are apt to find their way into the very 



heart of the plant. Almost all vegetables^ 

 should have a dip in the salt-water vat, if 

 only for precaution's sake. The young 

 gardener should recollect that in the self- 

 same state in which he carries the celery 

 from the vegetable-house it is laid upon 

 his employer's table, and therefore he 

 should make himself acquainted with the 

 form used by the family, for there are va- 

 rious ways of dressing it. 



As frost sets in, a quantity of the crop 

 for immediate use should be taken up 

 carefully, retaining the roots and what 

 soil may be attached to them, and tying 

 the leaves together, carrying them on 

 hand-barrows (which is the best way to 

 prevent their leaves from getting broken) 

 to the root-cellar, and laying them in 

 amongst sand — not, however, too dry, else 

 it would absorb the moisture too rapidly 

 out of the leaves and stalks, and render 

 them tough and ultimately useless for 

 salads. From time to time during 

 winter this should be attended to; and 

 in the event of not having the con- 

 venience of a root-cellar, or, far better, 

 of a vegetable - house (such as fig. 677, 

 vol. i.), which we consider the best of aU 

 structures for the preservation of such 

 crops during winter, supplies should be^ 

 brought in; for, irrespective of preserving 

 the crop from frost and wet, and being 

 more comfortable for the man who serves 

 the kitchen, it prevents the ground from 

 being poached, and leaves it in a tidy 

 state, which, according to the usual prac- 

 tice, it is not. 



We have adopted two methods to in- 

 sure its preservation during winter, either 

 of which we have found to answer our 

 utmost expectation. We grow most of 

 our celery in what is called the Scotch 

 fashion — that is, in trenches from 4 to 5 

 feet in breadth, setting the plants in rows 

 across, and at such distances apart as ac- 

 cord with the size we wish the plants to 

 attain. Following the London market- 

 gardeners' practice, we do not earth up 

 until they have attained nearly their full 

 size, at which period we earth them up 

 as high as can be done without burying 

 their hearts. Should the weather con- 

 tinue mild, we give them a little more 

 towards the middle of November, at which 

 time, and when the leaves are perfectly 

 dry, we tie them up loosely, and place a 

 common drain-tile on each side of every 



