OVLTURE OF GELFjRY. 93 



Chapter 16.— Cekrp* 



A TANTALISING vegetable is Apium graveolens. It excites the palate 

 of the dyspeptic, and ravages his internal mechanism. 



Raw Celery is not for all the world, yet for those who can digest 

 it the nut-flavoured sticks have a charm all their own. ^ The rest 

 must make shift with it as a cooked vegetable, and most delicious and 

 wholesome it is. Nor must the Turnip-rooted Celery, Celeriac, be 

 forgotten. It may be used either raw or cooked, and is very easily 

 grown. 



In the remarks that I have made on soil preparation and manuring, 

 I have already dealt somewhat fully with Celery, and, except for a 

 few remarks on sowing and earthing, I may epitomise its treatment. 



Many people sow their Celery too late, and then have to force it 

 along with dung, and spend a great deal of time in watering, to get 

 it right. The first sowing should be made about the middle of 

 February, and with a little bottom heat (not indispensable, however, 

 with new seed ; I have had Celery ready to plant in June from a 

 cold-frame sowing in February) there is no doubt about having 

 plants ready in time. I strongly denounce thick sowing, for it 

 necessitates early pricking off, and no Celery plant should ever be 

 touched until it has pushed at least two rough leaves. 



Soon after the seed is sown the trenches may be made. Of 

 course, most people leave this operation until five minutes before they 

 want to put the plants out, and then do it in a desperate hurry ; 

 perhaps, in their tardiness, missing a lovely shower, which would 

 have sent the plants spinning along in glorious style. If the ground 

 is vacant there is no objection whatever to preparing the trenches 

 early, and there are many things in favour of it. With plenty of 

 time, the job is done in a more workmanlike way than when it 

 is rushed. The soil is sweetened by exposure, and becomes more 

 fertile. 



The general way of making a Celery trench is to throw out 1 foot 

 of top soil, and put the Celery in the sub-soil. This is wrong. It is 

 true that fine Celery is grown when the plan is practised, but only 

 at the cost of working in a great deal of dung, which means time, 

 labour, and expense. The trench should be made li feet deep, 

 9 inches of the top soil being thrown out on one side of the 

 trench, and 9 inches of the bottom soil on the other. When planting 

 time comes the top soil should be put back for planting in, because 

 it is the best, and the sub-soil, which is inferior, should be sprinkled 

 with superphosphate, and left to improve ; it will eventually come in 

 for earthing. 



By this simple plan, excellent Celery can be grown with a little 

 bone flour and nitrate of soda (see " Manures and it will be much 



