82 CULTURE OF CELERY 



shall thus have plants in four different stages which 

 will suffice from the earliest to the latest season. 



Some large market gardeners sow broadcast in a frame 

 on rich soil made firm, the soil being not more than six 

 inches from the glass. This is for the general crop 

 when a large quantity is required. 



It will be well here to speak of varieties, of which 

 there are many, and of which nearly every grower has 

 his fancy. There are two distinct types, white and red, 

 the white being the earlier. For many years I grew 

 Sandringham White, a good sturdy kind, but in after 

 years I grew Sutton's White Gem, a very early and partly 

 self-blanching variety, and also their Solid White and 

 Veitch's Superb White, and I prefer these to my old 

 friend Sandringham. Major Clark's Solid Red and 

 Fulham Prize are my favourite reds, and these will 

 furnish any grower with all he requires, unless he 

 wants exceedingly long celery (which I do not advise), 

 and then he must look out for a " novelty," which 

 perhaps will be coarse. I need not here remark that, as 

 celery is an important crop requiring a good deal of care 

 and labour, a few extra pence in buying the seed should 

 not be considered, for, after all the time and labour has 

 been bestowed, it will be worse than disappointment to 

 -find that one has not a good strain. I have had a whole 

 planting of the three varieties named, and not distinguished 

 a spurious one in the whole lot. This is what should 

 be, and is what I have generally had in all my seed 

 crops. 



Every grower will be guided by his requirements as 

 to how many plants should be grown, but, whether 

 it be 50 or 50,000, it pays to give the plants our best 

 attention. I will here give an outline of my practice 

 with the March sown plants, as this is the principal 

 crop. The seeds are sown thinly in boxes, and when 

 all are well up, the boxes are removed to a light airy 



