GENERAL TREATMENT 85 



only nine or ten inches of good loam, and sometimes 

 less. It is not well to trench such land as this, or much 

 of the clay is brought to the surface. I like rather to 

 break up such subsoil, and leave it where found with a 

 good layer of dung on it, pulling the top soil on the top 

 of it. For celery trenches on such soil I take out the top 

 spit and place it at one side of the trench ; a small 

 portion of the next spit is then thrown out and placed 

 on the opposite side, after which a good deal of the 

 top soil is put back to plant in, incorporating three or 

 four inches of the manure. These trenches are sixteen 

 inches wide, and when dug ready for the planting they 

 are about four inches deep. I often see trenches ten 

 inches deep, but no one can give the reason for such 

 a depth. Sometimes my trenches after receiving the 

 dung are nearly level with the ground surface. I never 

 allow less than four feet from row to row, or, if double 

 rows, five feet. I am aware that less space can be given, 

 but much depends on the depth of soil and what is its 

 nature. It would be really bad form to earth up at the 

 last with a clayey soil, and one would have to do this in 

 some cases where the rows are too near together. 



There is generally at the time of celery planting a 

 - good deal of other work to which the gardener has to 

 attend ; in fact, it really comes at his busiest season. 

 Hence it is that drawn-up plants are so much in evi- 

 dence. Now, if plenty of room be given to the young 

 plants in the nursery beds, they will bear a little delay, 

 but I like to get the principal lot out by the end of June. 

 They will bear no stint of water at any time. The dis- 

 tance which I give from plant to plant of Sutton's Gem 

 is nine or ten inches, but with the later and stronger 

 growers I allow a foot apart. Every plant is taken up 

 carefully the day before planting, and I well water the 

 plants to soaking point. A spade is put under the plants 

 as in taking up a thick turf, a man taking up each plant 



