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BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK 



Kalamazoo, Mich., famous for its celery, the soil I 

 saw in the fields is black, moist, and filled with 

 humus ; it lies very low and is drained by a network 

 of open ditches. 



For the early crop in the North, sow seed in 

 hotbeds about March ist (earlier in the South), and 

 transplant to coldframes about April loth (see 

 Chapter III for cultural details). The seed germi- 

 nates very slowly and the young plants are weak ; 

 plant seed rather thickly and see that the soil does 

 not dry out until plants are well up. The plants may 

 be moved to the open ground in May or early June. 

 There is not a large demand for very early celery. 



For the late crop, seed may be sown outdoors 

 as early in the spring as the ground can be worked. 

 The soil should be fine and m.oist. Sow in drills 

 about a foot apart and cover about three-eighths of 

 an inch deep, afterward firming the soil by rolling, 

 by pressing with the feet, or by tamping with the 

 back of a hoe-blade. If the weather is very dry, 

 germination may be hastened b}^ watering the seed- 

 bed and then covering the rows with burlap until the 

 plants are up. Start the hoe as soon as the rows 

 can be seen. In early July dig the plants, shear or 

 cut off a portion of the tops (read Chapter III), 

 and transplant to rows for horse cultivation about 

 three feet apart for the dwarf varieties or four feet 

 for the tall kinds, plants spaced about six inches 

 apart in the row. Be sure to firm the earth about 

 the roots. (For small-garden culture, or where boards 

 are used for blanching the crop, the rows may be 

 closer together — say two or two and one-half feet 

 apart. In fact, in a system called the "new celery 

 culture," it is advocated that plants should be set 

 very close together — about 6x8 inches apart — so 



