May.] the KITCHEN GARDEN. 379 
Cleaning and thinning Carrots and Farsneps. 
Carrots and parsneps will now be advancing fast in their growth, 
and should be properly encouraged^ clear them from weeds, and 
thin the plants out to due distances. 
This work may be done either by hand or hoej but for extensive 
crops particularly, small hoeing is the preferable method, as being 
the most expeditious, and by loosening the surface of the ground 
with the hoe it will greatly promote the free growth of the plants. 
Whatever method is pursued, it will be necessary to free tiie 
plants from weeds, and to thin them to proper distances, that they 
may have full liberty to grow and enlarge their roots. The gene- 
ral crops of carrots should be thinned to about six or seven inches, 
plant from plant, and the parsneps from eight to ten, in order that 
each kind should attain its utmost perfection. 
Such crops of carrots, however, as are intended to be drawn 
gradually for the table, while young, need not be thinned at first to 
more than four or five inches distance, as the frequent pulling up of 
some for table use, will, in a little time, afford the others sufficient 
room to grow large. But the main crops should be thinned at once 
to the proper distances. 
Pricking out and Planting Celery. 
Some of the early celery plants from the seed-beds should now 
be pricked out to obtain strength previous to a final planting in 
trenches; by this method those left in the beds will have room to 
grow strong and stout. They should be planted at the distance of 
three inches from one another, in beds of rich loose earth, watered 
immediately, and afterwards occasionally, till growing freely; when 
they have acquired sufficient strength in these beds, they are to be 
planted in trenches for full growth, as directed in June. 
Let those remaining in the seed-beds be watered to settle the 
earth about tlieir roots, which had been loosened in the act of pull- 
ing out the others. 
When of sufficient size and strength, plant out into trenches 
some of your earliest sown plants, as directed in the Kitchen Gar- 
den for June. 
For the best method of obtaining celery in early perfection, with- 
out the assistance of a hot-bed, see page 322. 
Sowing Celery Seed. 
Sow more celery seed for a principal later crop; let this be done 
as directed in page 322. In hot sunny weather the shading of the 
bed with mats, from ten to four o'clock, would greatly fiicilitate the 
growth of the seed; occasional waterings also will be very service- 
able, and in a dry season indispensable. 
Jlsparagus. 
Asparagus is in the best state for cutting when the shoots are 
