CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
319 
412. Harvesting. — /The proper time to harvest is de- 
termined by the size of the plants, the thoroughness of 
blanching, prices and the weather conditions. The 
market will sometimes pay better prices for very early 
celery, partly blanched and two-thirds grown, than for 
late, fully matured, perfectly blanched stalks. 
Except in the very large commercial plantations the 
usual method is to lift the plants with a spading shovel 
or a fork. Sou.e growers prefer to cut the roots at the 
proper depth with large, sharp butcher knives, a plan 
which is especially satisfactory in sandy or mjuck soils 
and when the crop has been blanched with boards. In 
the great producing sections, machines are employed to 
cut the roots. The machine is a very simple device 
drawn by two horses. It consists of a U-shaped steel 
cutter 5 or 6 inches wide and Yz inch thick mounted 
beneath and between two wheels, or it may be adapted 
to a two-row, riding cultivator. The blade is adjust- 
able, so that it may be set at any depth. When in opera- 
tion a row is loosened as fast as a team walks. 
It is customary to remove the worthless outside leaves 
before hauling to the packing shed, where the plants may 
receive further and more careful trimming. The roots 
are also cut as desired in the field. The plants may be 
placed on trays or in boxes preparatory to hauling to the 
packing room. Exposure to the sun and the drying air 
of the field should be as brief as possible. 
413. Marketing. — In many instances the crop is 
shipped in the rough direct from the field to city stor- 
age houses, where the plants are trimmed and washed 
by the commission dealers before shipping or delivering 
to retailers. When this is the practice the plants are 
graded and a few of the outside leaves are removed be- 
fore being packed in the field, but the roots are not cut 
off. The growers in several sections ship to the retailers 
without removing or trimming the roots, while most pro- 
