Celery 



377 



In beds in these houses the celery plants are set close 

 together and the blanching proceeds during storage. 



For market, celery is prepared by being thoroughly 

 washed and usually scrubbed, so that all earth and sand 

 are removed. The outside leaves are removed and 

 usually the root is trimmed away, leaving a pointed base 

 to the whole cluster. These plants are then shipped in 

 open trays or boxes, the style of box and the number to 

 be packed in each depending largely on the market in 

 which one sells. 



In celery, calculate from 20,000 to 30,000 plants per acre. 

 There is usually much loss in seeds and young plants, and it is 

 therefore advisable to sow the seed very thick. One ounce of seed 

 to 200 feet of row in the seed-bed is a liberal allowance. Some 

 gardeners estimate 2,000 good plants from each ounce of seed, but 

 this allows for an unusual amount of loss. An ounce should give 

 from 5,000 to 10,000 good plants, after allowing for several times 

 that amount in loss. One pound of celery seed should give enough 

 strong plants to set four to five acres. 



Celery is planted 6 to 12 inches apart in the row. The rows 

 vary from 2 to 4 feet apart. In the "new celery culture," or 

 self-blanching system, the plants are set 6 to 7 inches apart each 

 way, requiring about 150,000 to the acre. 



White Plume, Golden Self-Blanching, and Kalamazoo are 

 popular summer and fall varieties, and are also used for winter. 

 For late winter or spring use, the product being blanched in pits, 

 Boston Market or Arlington is a standard. There are pink- stemmed 

 varieties; also very tall varieties, now little grown. 



Thirty-seven varieties were advertised by American seedsmen 

 in 1889 (Annals Hort.). Sturtevant has written the history of 

 celery in Amer. Nat., July, 1886, pp. 599-606. See also brief note 

 by the same author in Amer. Nat., Aug., 1887, p. 705. Goff has 

 monographed the varieties in 6th Rept. N. Y. State Exp., Sta. (for 

 1887), pp. 217-225. He reduces the varieties to 26. The classifi- 

 catory scheme is as follows : 



