CELERY CULTURE 

 R. H. Garrahan, Kingston, Pennsylvania 



In speaking on the subject assigned me, it is not my intention 

 to give you a scientific treatise on celery culture — we will leave that 

 to the professors. I will try and tell you, in as few words as possible, 

 our method of growing the crop. 



Our acreage is small in comparison with some of the great celery 

 plantations found in favored locations. We have out this year about 

 sixteen acres, between early and late. We make no claim for origin- 

 ality, nor do we claim that the method used by us is better than that 

 used in other sections of the country. 



VARIETIES 



For the early crop we plant White Plume; it is a strong growing, 

 vigorous variety, much less subject to blight than the Golden Self- 

 blanching. For second earty, or mid-season, we plant White Plume, 

 Golden Self -blanching. Magnificent, Winter King, and Giant Pascal 

 from field-grown plants. We try to have the early crop disposed of 

 by the time we commence trenching about October twentieth. We 

 are then ready to work on the later planted White Plume and Golden 

 Self -blanching. By the time that is sold the Magnificent, Winter 

 King, or Giant Pascal is sufficiently blanched. These varieties will 

 run us through the holidays. By the first of the year, the late varie- 

 ties are ready. For the late crop we have practically abandoned 

 Winter Queen, Shumacher, Perfection Hartwell, and all the rest, for 

 French's Success — a variety of rather recent origin, introduced by 

 the Joseph Harris Seed Company. It is one of the most uniform 

 varieties of celery we have ever handled. It is a slow growing, com- 

 pact variety, and should be planted earlier than some of the taller 

 growing kinds. It is a long keeper and full-hearted. I have counted 

 as high as fourteen shoots starting in the heart, where in the Giant 

 Pascal only one or two would be visible. The quality is good, but not 

 equal to Giant Pascal. 



EARLY PLANTS 



The seed for the early crop is sowed in the greenhouse March first; 

 we have found that, if sowed much earlier, the plants are liable to run 

 to seed. The soil for the seed-bed is composed of well-rotted manure 

 and dirt, about half and half. The seed-bed is sterilized by sattirating 



