Celery Culture in America. 



235 



or February in sifted soil in a wooden tray which can be 

 placed in the window of a moderately warm room ; but 

 with later plants, for the main crop, it is sown in a cold 

 frame or in the open ground about March or April. The 

 seedlings are transplanted ; and where small quantities only 

 are grown the transplanting is sometimes done twice. 



For domestic use, where plenty of land is available, it 

 has been found most economical to plant in single rows 

 4 to 6 feet apart, with the plants 6 or 7 inches apart in 

 the rows. If the space is limited, beds about 5 feet wide 

 are suitable, with the plants set 7 inches apart each way. 

 On the " muck 11 soils the ground is not mulched around 

 the plants after setting ; but some kind of covering is 

 desirable on sandy land and necessary on clay soils, and the 

 ground is covered with finely divided material, preferably half- 

 rotted manure, to a depth of about 2 inches for 8 or 10 inches 

 on either side of the plants. 



Where celery is planted in single rows and mulched, shallow 

 cultivation only is maintained between the rows : the teeth 

 of the machine are not allowed to come near the plants, 

 nor is the cultivation deep, as the roots are near the surface. 

 Where no mulch is used the surface is slightly stirred with 

 a hoe or iron rake, to prevent the formation of a crust 

 after rain or watering. 



In its original wild state the celery stem is tough, woody, and 

 of rank flavour, and to remedy this the stems are blanched. 

 Some varieties are, in a measure, self-blanching, while others 

 require to have all light excluded. If for early use, the self- 

 blanching kinds are selected, and the blanching is completed 

 when the roots are grown ; but with celery for winter use, the 

 process is done after storage, as it keeps better when unblanched, 



Various systems of blanching are adopted in the United 

 States. One method for early blanching is to use boards 

 12 to 14 inches wide, two of which are placed on edge on either 

 side of the row of plants. They are kept in position in different 

 ways, but frequently by the use of a piece of galvanised wire, 

 about 6 inches long, bent at each end. These are slipped over 

 the edges of the boards to keep them from falling outwards, and 

 the plants are rigid enough to keep them upright. The cheaper 



