140 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



take their late and early plants from the same bed ; for late 

 celery, cutting oflf the plants as often as they get too high. 

 Plants can thus be kept in the seed-bed until the last of 

 July, and by being thus cut down, the butts and stalks of 

 the celery will be stocky, large, and fine. 



Celery grows so quickly after the plant is established, 

 that those plants put out the last of July, and earthed-up 

 in October and November, make the finest butts for a 

 main crop. There is beside no difficulty in their keeping. 

 The very finest celery may be grown by the foregoing 

 method ; but celery, quite good enough for common use, 

 can be raised after Mr. Peabody's plan, which we give in 

 his own words : 



" As the whole process of making celery is artificial, 

 the soil must be very rich, without heating manure. The 

 seed may be sown in February and March, and may be 

 put in in drills, where it is desirable to have it stand for 

 blanching fall the transplanting and trenching is non- 

 sense ) ; the seed should be sown very thin, and covered 

 about half an inch, and the earth trampled quite hard on 

 them, which will cause them soon to vegetate. When the 

 plants are up three inches, thin them out, to a stand of 

 about six inches apart, and in clear, dry weather, draw 

 the earth up to the plant, taking care to leave the crown- 

 bud uncovered. This must be repeated as fast as the 

 plant grows, until a mound or ridge has been made around 

 the plant some two or three feet high. It will now be fit 

 for the table. On uncovering the stalks, they will be 

 found to be beautifully blanched, and perfectly delicate 

 and tender. A rough frame-work over the plants, covered 

 with brush through the hottest part of the day, will be an 

 advantage." 



The advantage of growing celery in trenches, over Mr. 

 Peabody's plan, is, that not only are the Stalks larger, but 



