August, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



11 



selected strains of White Plume, such as 

 Snow White, Silver Self-Blanching, Per- 

 fected White Plume, etc., but these are 

 hardly distinct from the best stocks of White 

 Plume. However, in purchasing seeds of 

 these improved strains, you get the benefit 

 of the most carefully selected seed and have 

 a much better assurance of getting a satis- 

 factory return for your labor in growing 

 the crop. 



Pink Plume is but little grown, as red 

 celery has never become popular in this 

 country, but in some parts of Europe the 

 red varieties are highly esteemed and 

 considered to be of much better flavor 

 than the ordinary green-stalked varieties. 

 They are very attractive in appearance when 

 properly blanched. Before earthing up the 

 stalks, of these red, or pink varieties have a 

 dark reddish green color and as blanching 

 progresses they turn to a light rosy pink, the 

 color gradually fading out until there is only 

 a faint pink line along each rib of the stalk, 

 and if blanching is still further continued, 

 that disappears entirely. In Pink Plume, 

 the blanched stalks are white, like the White 

 Plume, but in the later pink or red varieties 

 they are of a rich golden tint, deeper in color- 

 ing than the green-stalked varieties. 



Golden Self-Blanching is preeminently 

 the celery for market or home garden; it 

 grows quickly, is easily blanched, and makes 

 a large bunch of short, broad, heavily ribbed 

 stalks of a light golden or creamy tint; is 

 crisp, brittle, and of excellent flavor when 

 freshly dug, but rather soft if kept out of 

 ground for any length of time. Under the 

 most favorable conditions it can be kept 

 in good condition until the middle of January. 

 Well grown plants of this variety run twelve 

 to eighteen inches in height and from three 

 to four inches in diameter. In the natural 

 growth, the leaves are of a light green tint 

 but when earthed have a rich creamy, or 

 golden tint, and when it is shipped long 

 distances in dark cars, as in the early ship- 

 ments from California and Florida, the leaves 

 have the same light golden tint. In the very 

 best strains of this celery, there is always 

 a small percentage of plants say from three 

 to five in a hundred, with dark green stalks 

 and leaves. This is apparently necessary 

 to the vigor of the variety, for if they are 

 entirely bred or selected out, the strain of 

 seed becomes weakened, the growth smaller 

 and the crop more apt to have hollow stalks. 



The best seed of Golden Self-Blanching 

 is French grown; and is offered by leading 



seedsmen at a slightly increased cost over 

 the American grown seed, but as a small 

 quantity of seed produces many plants, the 

 slight increase of cost of the best seed can 

 hardly be considered in comparison with 

 the value of the crop, and the labor required 

 to produce it. 



Golden Rose, or Rose-Ribbed Paris Self- 

 Blanching is identical with the Golden 

 Self-Blanching except for the addition of 

 the reddish tinge in the stalks. When nicely 

 blanched, this coloring appears as a delicate 

 pink line along the ribs. 



VARIETIES FOR WINTER USE 



There is a large number of the late, or 

 winter varieties . of celery ; those of recent 

 introduction being of dwarf or more stocky 

 growth, with wider or broader stalks, the 

 leaves lighter green and the stalks can be 

 more easily blanched than those of the older 

 sorts. These new forms are so much more 

 easily grown and so much more desirable 

 in every way that I would advise their plant- 

 ing to the exclusion of the older, taller growing 

 and more slender stalked varieties. 



The first of this type to come into general 

 cultivation was Giant Pascal, said to have 

 been established by a selection from the 

 dark green sports or reversions appearing 



When storing set the plants closely together and 

 cover the roots with earth 



Celery may be stored in frames liKe these if 

 protected from frost with earth or litter 



in Golden Self-Blanching. The plants are 

 of strong, vigorous growth, without being 

 too tall, and when nicely blanched, the 

 broad, strongly ribbed stalks are crisp and 

 brittle and of a most delightful flavor. I 

 consider it the best winter celery but it is 

 too brittle for shipment and does not keep 

 well unless stored in a well drained soil. 

 The most recent of this new dwarf stocky 

 type and the most popular in the vicinity 

 of Philadelphia, is Winter Queen, which 

 resembles Giant Pascal in growth and stalk 

 but is of a lighter green, more easily blanched 

 and an excellent keeper. 



Other new varieties of the same general 

 type as the two preceding are Evans' Tri- 

 umph, Cremona, Fin-de-Siecle and Schu- 

 macher, all of which have been developed by 

 selection to an especial type by market 

 gardeners who make a specialty of growing 



Level culture is given celery which is to be blanched 

 with boards; use a wheel hoe 



celery of quality and all of which quite 

 closely resemble each other as compared 

 with either the early self-blanching type or 

 the tall slender stalked older varieties. Some 

 of these late varieties are described in the 

 catalogues as blanching to a golden tint, 

 but in my opinion this is very largely a matter 

 of the degree to which the blanching process 

 is carried, as the stalks which show a golden 

 or creamy tint when first blanched generally 

 turn white if the blanching is continued. 



In the older varieties, some of which 

 produce very tall stalks and involve much 

 labor in banking to get them properly 

 blanched, Boston Market was the most dis- 

 tinct, as in this variety the large central 

 cluster of stalks is surrounded by a number 

 of small side shoots or offsets, giving several 

 small hearts or centres to each plant, but I 

 do not know of any seedsman who could now 

 supply a straight stock of this type. It was 

 a very popular variety before the intro- 

 duction of the newer varieties which have 

 the dwarf habit and thicker stalks. 



One of the very best of the older varieties 

 is offered under the name of New Rose, but 

 it has been cultivated for so many years that 

 the title "new" might justly be discarded. 

 It is a hardy grower, and blanches to a rich 

 yellowish tint with the pink lines along 

 the ribs. 



The New Rose is chiefly desirable for 

 its excellent flavor and for its good keeping 

 qualities but the stalks are taller and more 

 slender than those of the Golden Rose, and 

 it requires a longer season for growth and 

 is much more difficult to blanch. 



It is quite likely that, when a good keeping 

 late red celery — with large, broad, heavy 

 ribbed stalks, of stocky growth like the Giant 

 Pascal and Winter Queen — is developed, 

 this last named variety as well as the old 

 green-stalked late varieties will disappear. 



