760 
Vitality of seed is quite variable, so it 
is impossible to figure the number of 
plants which may be procured from a 
given amount. It is estimated in buying 
seed that one can count on 2,500 plants 
per ounce of seed, but this is very con- 
servative, for some growers get as high 
as 25,000 stocky plants per ounce when 
they have good seed. The number of 
plants suitable for planting depends upon 
the vitality of the seed and the care of 
the grower. It is the practice to sow 
enough seed to secure more plants than 
will be needed and then select the best 
of these. Very often a surplus stock can 
be sold at a good profit, and it is also 
advisable to have extra plants for re- 
setting in case of damage to young plants 
by drought or hailstorm. 
Raising the Plants 
Celery seed is very slow in germinat- 
ing and sometimes great difficulty is ex- 
perienced in getting a good stand of 
plants. Here is where the gardener must 
ever be on the alert. The seed bed and 
young plants must never be allowed to 
become dried out, and yet water must 
not be allowed to stand on the surface. 
The young plants are very tender, and a 
fine spray should be used in watering 
them. The seed is sown broadcast in 
the beds or sometimes in very shallow 
drills four or six inches apart. The seed 
should be covered very lightly, if at all. 
Germination will take place in about 
three weeks. 
The Golden Self-blanching celery is 
usually sown between March ist and 15th 
in mild hotbeds from which have been 
taken one or two crops of radishes or 
lettuce. These beds are made with about 
one foot of manure, over which is spread 
between six and 12 inches of soil, and 
the whole is covered with glass sash. By 
the time one or two crops of lettuce have 
been taken from a bed, the manure does 
not give a strong heat, but just enough 
to protect on frosty nights. If one de- 
sires this celery for the August market, 
it is quite necessary that some artificial 
heat of this sort be given the seed bed, 
but fresh beds should be used only with 
great care or the plants will not be 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
strong. For later sowing of the seeds, 
frames simply covered with sash may be 
used. 
The Pascal celery is mostly sown be- 
tween April ist and 15th in frames under 
cloth, although a great deal is sown in 
the open ground. The advantages of 
growing under cloth are that the soil is 
kept from dying out and the young plants 
are protected from extremes of tempera- 
ture. It is not considered profitable to 
transplant celery, so it is left in the orig- 
inal beds until ready for setting in the 
field, although much more stocky plants 
may be secured by giving an extra shift. 
When the plants are grown in hotbeds, 
as many as 8,000 are sometimes raised 
under a three by six foot sash. However, 
when less expensive beds are used, it is 
better to use more room, as one thus 
gets far stockier plants. Many growers 
sow one-fourth ounce of seed to one sash 
three by six feet, but this crowds the 
plants somewhat. It is very important 
that the plants be carefully “hardened 
off.” This is done by gradually getting 
them accustomed to the wind and sun. 
The sash is raised more and more each 
pleasant day until the plants can stand 
to be entirely uncovered. It is very im- 
portant that they should never be al- 
lowed to become cold enough to be frosted 
as this no doubt is one of the principal 
causes of going to seed. 
Several methods are in use for making 
the plants stocky. Transplanting has al- 
ready been mentioned, but this is an ex- 
pensive process. Clipping the tops off 
lightly once or twice while in the beds 
is practiced to quite an extent. A few 
growers have a knife so mounted on 
wheels that it can be run under the 
plants, so as to cut off the tap root, thus 
causing more side roots to develop. 
Setting of Plants in the Field 
When the ground has been thoroughly 
prepared and danger of frost is over, the 
plants may be set in the field. If an 
early crop is desired it is, of course, 
necessary that the plants be set early, so 
as to give them as much time as possible 
to get their full growth. If the plants 
are crowded in the seed bed, it is a good 
