Celery. 
The nature and manner of cultivating this 
■delicious and healthful plant is not known 
as well as its importance deserves. It is 
one of those toothsome dainties that one 
never tires of, and should be seen in every 
garden, especially among the farmers. For 
a long time it was considered that to grow 
celery required a considerable outlay of both 
time and money, and the old system of cul¬ 
tivation in trenches was the bug-bear of 
celery culture. The cultivation has, how¬ 
ever, during the last few years been greatly 
simplified, and it is now an easy matter for 
any one to raise a good supply for family 
use. 
It is rather a delicate plant and hard to 
get a start and should be grown on moist, 
rich ground, the manuring of which should 
be carefully attended to. After the manure 
is applied it should be thoroughly pulverized 
and mixed with the soil, for celery is so very 
tender that if solid manure of any kind 
comes in contact with its roots it is liable 
to burn. 
Be careful to purchase nothing but first- 
class seed as carelessness often causes disap¬ 
pointment. • The seed should be sown in 
the sun-bed very early in the spring, as they 
are very slow to germinate and it is generally 
about three weeks from the time of plant¬ 
ing the seed before the plants begin to show. 
As they grow very slow the first few months 
they can be left in the seed bed until the 
middle of July or 1st of August. They 
should then be transplanted and set in rows 
from three to four feet apart, and the 
plants about six inches apart in the rows. 
In transplanting, press the dirt firmly 
around the plant and be careful not to plant 
too deep as the crown of the plant should 
always show. 
As the land is not wanted until the mid¬ 
dle of July or later, it can be used for any 
early crop that can be cleared off by that 
time; early potatoes are good as they leave 
the ground well pulverized, mellow and in 
good condition for celery. 
Cultivate frequently and draw a little 
fine soil around the plants to keep them in 
an upright position as their natural tendency 
is to spread. They grow very rapidly during 
the cool weather of September, and the 
oftener they are banked up to prevent 
spreading the bettor. 
Celery is naturally a salt water plant and 
thrives best in a cool, moist soil. 
The application of salt along each row is 
very good, as it both draws, moistens and 
improves the flavor of the plant. 
For celery to do well it must have a cool 
climate and it cannot be raised to advantage 
south of the Ohio river. The best region 
for it is in the vicinity of the great lakes. 
A good plan to keep it from the frost is 
to pack in an upright position in a trench 
which should be a foot and a half deep and 
one foot wide. It should be made in some 
dry place and drained well so as to keep 
perfectly dry. Considerable soil may be 
left around the roots of the plants which 
will help to keep them fresh and crisp. The 
top of the trench should be covered with 
boards and a layer of dirt on this to keep it 
out of danger from frost. The later it is 
left in the ground before packing it in these 
trenches the longer it will keep, and yet it 
should be put away in a perfectly green 
state as it holds its flavor better than if 
partially bleached. The first of November 
is generally about the right time to begin 
packing them for winter; but it should be 
done before, if the season promises to be a 
cold one, as they should be secured before 
the frost injures them by softening the 
stalks.— II. S. TP. in South and West. 
Strawberry Culture. 
The strawberry is perennial and grows all 
the year except (?) when the ground is 
frozen. Next year’s crop of fruit will be 
made principally from the food gathered 
and stored up in the crown of the plant 
during the present season—just as the milk 
given by a cow to-morrow will be made 
from the grass cousumed to-day. Runners 
rooted late in the Fall have not time to store 
up food for the next year’s crop, hence they 
can produce little or nothing. If, from any 
cause, the plant be hindered in its growth 
during the Summer or Fall, the crop will be 
small in proportion. The perfection of cul¬ 
ture consists in snpplying the want of the 
plant, that its growth may be rapid and con- 
