172 
THE GARDEN? MAG a2 ya 
APRIL, 1916 
[f the soil is rich they will make a fairly rapid 
growth, and must be given plenty of light and 
fresh air. Take care in watering them not to 
mat them down. Sub-watering, by placing the 
flat in a larger pan, is the best method, but if 
that cannot be employed use a small watering 
can with the spray removed, and let the water 
flow over the surface and soak in until the 
whole is thoroughly saturated, without wetting 
the foliage at all. 
As soon as the little seedlings are large 
enough—when there are three or four “true 
leaves’—transplant again into rather dee 
flats, using a very rich compost. A hundre 
and twenty-five or even a hundred and fifty 
plants are often put in a flat, but in growing 
your own plants, particularly for small garden 
conditions, you will get better results by re- 
ducing this number to a hundred or to even 
fewer than that. There is no danger of having 
the plants too big, provided they are strong 
and stocky. The roots will be found to be very 
leng and thin; trim them back severely. 
Usually the tops also may be kept cut back a 
little to advantage, as they then are easier to 
handle, and the plants will not be injured in 
the slightest. 
After transplanting, be careful not to over- 
water. as until the little plants become re- 
established they will not be able to use nearly 
as much water as they needed previous to 
transplanting, and a soil too wet will cause a 
great many of them to “drop out.” Water the 
soil thoroughly a day or two before transplant- 
ing, give a light sprinkling afterward, and then 
keep shaded for a few days, during which time 
they should need but one careful watering at 
the most. Set out the young plants (if started 
indoors) in the frames as soon as possible. 
OR the later crops, one of the newer “green” 
F or winter varieties should be used. I have 
found nothing more satisfactory than Winter 
Queen, unless it is the new Fordhook Emperor, 
which I tried last year for the first time. It is 
an excellent sort with the thickest and most 
crisp and brittle stalks of any celery I have 
grown. ; 
Start plants for the late crop under glass in 
March or in April, or where the climate per- 
mits, sown outdoors in a sheltered spot, or in a 
coldframe, if one is available. A spent hotbed 
from which the spring stuff has been removed 
will be just the place in which to transplant 
the plants, provided the facilities for watering 
are adequate. A hotbed, of course, will dry out 
much more quickly than will the soil in the 
regular garden adjacent to it. In sowing di- 
rectly in the soil, prepare the latter very finely 
and firm it before SI ERUaI, by going over it 
with a light roller or by gently patting down 
with the back of a spade. If the seedlings are 
thinned out to a proper distance, or cut back 
two or three times to induce stocky growth, 
transplanting may be dispensed with. But 
For winter we select the newer green kinds because 
they have keeping qualities 
usually transplanting will give enough better 
plants to be well worth while. In either case 
they should be watched carefully, all weeds re- 
moved as soon as they appear, and the ground 
kept worked and loose between the rows. The 
rows, if the plants are not to be transplanted, 
should be nine inches to a foot apart. 
There are several systems of planting and 
blanching, and the ultimate aim of the small 
grower, of course, is to get just as many good 
stalks as possible from the amount of ground 
that is at Ms disposal. But, unless he has had 
considerable experience, it will probably be 
better for the first season at least for him to 
use the simplest and easiest method of grow- 
ing. This is to put the plants six inches apart 
in single rows, 2% or 3 ft. apart. Another 
method is to plant the early celery in rows 4 to 
5 ft. apart, and at the proper time “interplant” 
these with the late crop. 
Where paper or indi- 
The mere matter of growing the plants is after all 
the easiest part of the work. Attention to little details 
is essential 
vidual blanchers are used for blanching the 
early crop, this can be done. Another method 
is to set the plants in double rows, the plants 
being “staggered” and placed 8 or 10 by 12 
inches, with 3 or 4 ft. between the rows. This 
considerably increases the number of plants 
which may be grown, but renders the operations 
of cultivation, hilling, and so forth, more 
difficult. 
HE “new” celery culture consists in plant- 
ing the plants in solid beds, 8, 10 or 12 in. 
apart each way, according to the variety. This, 
of course, very greatly increases the number 
of plants which may be grown, but they are not 
nearly as large nor as well blanched—and 
although great results are often claimed for 
this system, I would advise any one who has 
had little experience to try but a small part of 
his crop that way for the first time. 
In setting out the plants, take them out of 
the flats or the seed Rede as carefully as pos- 
sible. First moisten the ground and trim back 
the tops so that they will not wilt and “lop 
over.” Dig out a deep trench where each row 
is to go and put in a generous appr cabien of 
the “starting mixture,” which has already been 
described in a former article. This, of course, 
should be covered and mixed with the soil be- 
fore planting. If the trench is a few inches 
below the surface level, so much the better. 
But do not dig out a deep trench and put the 
celery plants at the bottom of it. 
For several weeks after planting the work is 
mere routine—hoeing, cultivating and irrigat- 
ing, to keep the plants growing rapidly. Never 
work them while they are wet. Where blight is 
to be feared, spray thoroughly with bordeaux 
mixture, or better, as the plants begin to at- 
Hoth. tor ood growth and fruit. 
tain full size, ammoniacal copper carbonate 
solution. 
As the plants get large enough to start to 
Bphend: work enough soil up close to them, with 
the hoe or wheel-hoe, to keep them growing in 
an upright position; but never throw up so 
much that the crowns or hearts are filled. 
A® TO the various methods of blanching, this 
is the critical point of the whole business 
of celery growing, and I would suggest the use 
of whatever method the grower is familiar 
with. At the same time try out the other 
methods to see if a more efficient one may be 
found. The early crop, of course, is blanched 
where it grows and sold directly, while the late 
crop is trenched or stored. ourda are used 
widely for the early and the first part of the 
late crop; they are quick and convenient and 
with care will last for years, but the first cost 
is considerable. Cheap cypress is the best ma- 
terial as it is rot-resisting and does not warp 
as much as most native woods. There is a 
special tough paper made now particularly for 
blanching celery. This, also, is very convenient; 
it is held in place by wire staples. Where the 
rows are far enough apart, the plants may be 
blanched entirely by being banked up with 
earth. Here again irrigation is important, as 
it is exceedingly difficult, to say the least, to 
try to “bank up” with dry soil. 
Apples for a Small Orchard 
E. P. POWELL 
‘eBwAiés the Old Pound Sweet for Septem- 
ber, always to be grown out in the 
with plenty of sunshine; and for a 
S. tt Danchy is, in my experience, best 
or late‘fall or early winter, plant McIntosh 
Red, Walter Pease and the old Spitzenburg, 
always grafting the last named high up in old 
trees, if possible. The King a ple, where it 
will do well, has no superior either for beauty 
or quality, but it is limited to only a few sec- 
tions of the country. 
For late winter use, plant Stayman’s Wine- 
sap, Black Ben and Delicious, following with 
Giant Heniton, Northern Spy and either Bald- 
win or Rhode Island Greening. 
ft 
Make sure about the actual requirements of your 
market and prepare stalks accordingly 
