Celery 14 05 



There will be little trouble in keeping the roots of the late celery 

 working downward as it is usually dry during July and August 

 when the root growth of the late crop is being made, and nature 

 causes them to go down for moisture. I have never seen much 

 black heart in late celery, but if planted before July fifteenth 

 it is apt to be so affected if the fall is dry. 



The seed for a late crop should be sown in the open field from 

 April tenth to May tenth. Protect the seed beds with wind breaks 

 to keep the cold spring winds from sweeping over the beds, and 

 keep them wet until the plants have four leaves. After that they 

 will get along very well if the beds are not located on too dry a 

 spot. I sow my outdoor seed beds broadcast making the beds five 

 feet wide with a path of eighteen inches between. My early 

 celery crop is planted in rows eighteen inches apart, plants set five 

 inches apart in the row. One should not try to grow early celery 

 unless he has good irrigation. 



IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE 



I use the Skinner system of irrigation and would not be with- 

 out it, but a grower should learn how to use it on a small scale 

 before trying to grow a large acreage with it. A great many 

 growers condemn the system because they do not know how to 

 use it. 



Celery requires a large amount of water during the growing 

 season, and, unless one can give it the amount needed, he will not 

 get the best grade of celery. The land must be drained perfectly. 

 I use tile for drainage and have a six-inch tile ditch every seventy- 

 five feet, placed thirty inches below the surface. 



FERTILIZER 



Two tons of high-grade fertilizer 4-7-10 and one-half ton of fish 

 tankage per acre is to be recommended for early celery, sowing one 

 ton per acre and working it into the land before the crop is 

 planted. The remainder of the fertilizer and tankage is sown as 

 a side dressing while the crop is growing, making about three 

 applications — the last one about three weeks before the crop is 

 to be harvested. 



