APRIL, 1916 
WY let Jo) 
GARDEN 
MAG ACZ TN 
171 
height as given in catalogues and books. 
Take the height ultimately to be at- 
tained by the plant as your measuring 
stick in most cases, but consider the 
other factors. 
This means that the larger oaks and 
elms may be placed 100 feet apart, trees 
the size of apple require 40 feet for 
normal development; plums, 30 feet; 
Lilacs and other small trees, 15 feet; 
Spiraea Van Houttei, 10 feet; Berberis 
Thunbergeii, 5 feet; Spiraea japonica, 3 
feet; Peonies, 2 feet; Spiraea Anthony 
Waterer, 2 feet; Phlox and large peren- 
nials, 2 feet; most perennials, 1 foot; 
and small bulbs, 6 inches or less. Woody 
plants placed too closely will shoot up- 
ward or become permanently dwarfed; 
herbs will spread until all the ground 
is taken by their root and their tops 
crowd, then they lose vigor and must be 
reset. The open spaces between plants 
set for permanent effect can be taken 
up temporarily by the interplanting of 
other species. 
Soil preparation affects vitally the 
welfare of the planting. The soil prep- 
aration must be thorough, we are not 
setting posts. In many places it should 
cost more to get the ground ready than 
to buy the plants; usually it should cost 
at least a dollar to plant a street tree. 
I can prepare a bed in five hours or five 
Meas 
ais 
Pin-Money G's 
HE points about celery of inte, : 
man who expects to dig ins) 
this vear in search of a few e 
: backs are, that quality is thi 
ing factor in its value, and that when 1t 
to quality the odds are in his favor aS cone 
pared to the commercial grower whose produé 
has to be in transit several days, and possibly 
pass through several hands, before it is offered 
for sale. The fact that celery is “in season” for 
a long time—from late August until Christmas 
—makes it a crop which the grower may feel 
reasonably sure of disposing of profitably, if 
he is confident that he can grow it and blanch 
it successfully. 
RACTICALLY any small city or large town 
has a good home market for high quality 
celery. The crop moreover is one of the few 
things that can be marketed to advantage in 
small quantities, and which dealers prefer to 
buy of local growers. Though celery is not as 
“perishable” as most vegetables, nevertheless 
its Re uaty deteriorates rapidly in transit and 
handling. These things work in favor of the 
local grower. On the other hand, he should 
ascertain the form in which celery should be 
put up for the market which he expects to 
supply. 
The blanching is really part of the culture 
and continues either in the field or where the 
celery is stored until the time the stalks are 
ready to take to market. They should be 
trimmed, cleaned and washed carefully before 
bunching. The roots are cut off in such a way 
that a small part lust below the crown of the 
plant is left to hold the individual stalks se- 
curely together. The outside leaves and any 
which may have been damaged through culti- 
vating or blanching are removed. 
In all probability, one or two live dealers 
will handle all the celery you can produce, and 
it is best when you have satisfied them that you 
have an article of superior merit, to concentrate 
your distribution in this way, giving them more 
of an incentive to push your stuff by personal 
recommendation to customers, who will return 
days, and it will look the same when the 
plants are set, but there will be a dif- 
ference two years hence! 
Fall or spring planting depends on 
species, soil, climate, and other factors. 
Thorough workmanship is more impor- 
tant than season. 
Shrubs and herbs may even be moved 
from a nursery in midsummer, if plenty 
of water is at hand. Spireas don’t mind 
a shift any day in the year, but Roses 
and Hawthorns will surely die if 
moved when in leaf. Success in out-of- 
season planting depends both on the 
care taken and the adaptability of the 
species. 
Some gardens are fussed with too 
much. <A great many plants “thrive 
under neglect.” The Ailanthus may 
start the list of the large trees; the 
flowering Dogwood of small trees; Van 
Houtte’s Spirea of large shrubs, Jap- 
anese Barberry of low shrubs; the Day- 
lilies are enduring herbs, and Periwinkle 
is a permanent ground cover. They 
always look healthy though forgotten; 
they accomplish the impossible in the 
garden; they endure wear, neglect, poor 
soil and insects. The list of such per- 
manent plants is longer than at first 
would appear. 
To estimate the cost of work the fig- 
ures shown in the table on page 170 may 
them for it knowing that they cannot get it 
vyhere. Word of mouth advertising is 
ys the best kind; but the only way to get 
‘S first to achieve top quality in the thing to 
e advertised. 
JF YOU are satisfied from experience that you 
can get prime quality as well as quantity, 
and there is a good local market, there is 
probably no other crop which will be more 
profitable. With modern methods of blanching 
at least twice as many plants can be grown on 
a given area as are ordinarily grown in field 
culture. But I have one word of warning to 
insert here: Do not attempt to grow celery for 
cash, even on a small scale, unless you are 
sure of an abundance of water to carry the crop 
through the dry period which in most localities 
is fairly sure to hit the crop in the late summer 
or early fall. Celery, unlike onions and some 
other crops which can be used to produce profits 
in small gardens, requires a great deal of moist- 
ure right up to the time for harvesting or stor- 
ing, as the case may be. One good celery crop 
will pay several times over for the slight cost 
of a modern irrigation system. Don’t court 
failure by attempting to get along without it. 
It is best, though not absolutely necessary, to 
have your irrigation system ready before plant- 
ing. 
Where space is limited, by combining the 
very early and the late crops, you can prac- 
tically grow two crops of celery on the same 
ground. To do this most successfully, the first 
crop should be produced as early as possible 
Use the earliest varieties for the first crop, 
starting the seeds early under glass, so that 
there will be strong, rugged plants for setting 
out in May or early June. The importance of 
getting the best plants possible cannot be over- 
emphasized. Growing the plants, in fact, is 
nearly a third of the work of growing the crop; 
and the blanching and preparing it for market 
is practically another third; these facts should 
be kept in mind by the beginner if he is tempted 
to base his calculations on the work that may 
be helpful, but remember that cost in 
any work depends first on local condi- 
tions, then on management. 
The amateur garden builder more fre- 
quently buys his different plants singly 
or in quantities less than ten of a kind, 
at retail rates. If illustrated retail cata- 
logues of nurserymen are not at hand a 
different estimate for the cost of stock 
is needed. While prices of single plants 
have a wider range than for large quan- 
tities, we might use the following as 
average values, bearing in mind that 
common plants and those easily grown 
are cheaper than rare plants or those of 
difficult culture. For instance, a Mag- 
nolia costs four times as much as a 
Lombardy Poplar of the same height, 
Privet is one of the least expensive of 
shrubs (it is easily raised), and named 
varieties of Iris, Phlox, Larkspur, etc., 
may cost nearly twice that of the old- 
fashioned sorts. Height is only one of 
the factors in judging the value of a 
pen but it is the best general stand- 
ard. ; 
Both cheaper and more expensive 
plants in these sizes can be bought, and 
actual comparison will show the differ- 
ence to be real. “Specimen plants,” 
those larger than average nursery size, 
can be had at about double the above 
prices. These are for immediate effect. 
S for the Home Gardener—r. F. rockweL 
. Quality Celery for Local Markets 
be before him in taking care of the plants in 
the garden. 
The first sowing should be made in late 
March or very early April; Golden Self Blanch- 
ing is the most popular and, for all-round pur- 
poses, the best extra early variety. A new 
early variety, Easy Blanching, is similar and 
the small grower would do well to try out 
some of this in comparison with Golden Self 
Blanching, giving both varieties the same treat- 
ment and noting the results. Get celery seed 
of the very highest quality; this is even of 
greater moment with celery than with most 
other vegetables, as the dreaded “hollow stalk” 
is the result of poor “strains” of seed, which in 
germinating quality may be all right. 
HE seed is very fine and rather slow to 
germinate. The utmost care should be 
taken in starting it. “A strong stand” is im- 
portant not so much because of the additional 
plants secured as because the seedlings will be 
more rugged and capable of geveloniie into 
good, stocky plants. The little seedlings will 
remain longer in the soil before transplanting 
than those of cabbage or lettuce, so all pains 
should be taken in preparing it, a very ene, 
friable compost being used. Soak the seed for 
twenty-four hours or more before sowing. 
Germination will then be not only quicker, but 
more certain. I have had good results from 
seed that had been kept moist and in a warm 
place until it had actually begun to sprout; 
but it is sufficient to have it thoroughly swelled. 
It may be rolled in dry dust or mixed with 
about an equal portion of light soil to facilitate 
sowing, as otherwise the seed will cling to- 
gether in “gobs.” Nothing is gained by sowing 
too thickly. One gets many more plants, but 
many more have to be discarded and those 
which are left are not as good as they would 
have been if they had had more space. Give 
the seed pans plenty of warmth to insure a 
good quick start. Keep the little seedlings 
rather cool; nothing is to be gained by forcing 
them, and there is danger from “damping off.” 
