1211 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Boston Way of Storing Celery 
An Exlen»ive Industry in Massachusetts 
C ELLARS OR I*ITS.—Inimonse quantities of cel¬ 
ery are grown in the vicinity of Boston, and 
but little of it is stored in outdoor pits. Most of it 
is put away in temporary houses or cellars. The 
plan is one which gives excellent satisfaction, and 
makes possible the keeping of celery until Spring. 
Henry Russell, of Winchester, one of the most exten¬ 
sive celery growers, often prepares six long pits, the 
total length of which would extend probably two 
miles. For some years the growing of early celery 
has been interfered with by the i»resence of crown 
rot. This is a disease which is especially prev¬ 
alent when Paris Bolden, or Bolden 
Self-blanching is planted. Now that 
the newer variety known as Easy- 
bleaching is coming into favor, better 
results are being found in the grow¬ 
ing of early celery. After all, though, 
it is the late celery, and especially 
the Biant Pascal, which gives the 
most substantial returns. The work 
of storing celery is usually begun 
about the third week in October, and 
is continued well into November. 
Careful growers choose dry days 
when the wind is not blowing hard 
for digging their celery. Plants will 
not keep well if wet when put under 
cover, and a high wind. 
PLOWINB OUT.—In handling the 
crop it is necessary to have a good 
plowman. An experienced man with 
one horse can plow out celery so 
skillfully that hardly a plant will be 
bruised. The plowman is followed by 
laborers who scrape off a little of the 
earth, and trim off all damaged 
leaves. Then the plants arc loaded 
into boxes and taken to the cellars 
on wagons. The boards which were 
used for banking the early celery are 
used to make the covering over the 
cellars or pits. These boards usuall.v 
are about 12 inches wide, from 12 to 
10 feet long, and an inch thick. 
Slightly different methods are fol¬ 
lowed by different growers in getting 
the celery under cover. Sometimes 
the boards are set up tent fashion on 
level ground, but many market gar¬ 
deners prefer to have them over a 
pit several feet deep. Quite often a 
l)ermanent pit is dug and a frame 
erected over it, the boards being laid 
on the frame in the Fall and removed 
in the Spring after the celery has 
been taken out. This plan is followed 
in Revere, and other towns. 
THE CELERY CELLAR.—The 
common width for a celery cellar is 
about 24 feet. The easiest cellar to 
work in is one which is seven feet 
high at the ridge, and three feet at 
the eaves. When a permanent pit is 
used, the boards may extend to the 
ground on each side, but when the 
cellar is made on the surface, or with 
only a slight excavation, sides are 
constructed either of planks or of 
earth. The boards are put in position 
as fast as the celery is brought in 
from the fields. The common practice 
is to have the rows from three to six 
inches apart, Avhile the plants are set 
in trenches three inches deep, the soil 
from one trench being packed around 
the plants set in the trench just made. 
Earth is worked carefully around 
the plants to keep them xipright. 
HANDLINB THE PLANTS. — An occasional 
grower prefers to handle the celery in bushel boxes. 
Arnold Bro.s. of Braintree follow this plan. Two 
men remain in the pit and receive the boxes as the.v 
are brought in. Each box is filled with ])lants set 
closely together, so as to form a solid square. The 
plants are removed from the boxes by a skillful 
motion without breaking this square, so that several 
necessary to pack much earth around the roots. It 
has been found a simple matter to keep celery pitted 
in this way until February or later. Occasionally 
some growth is made in the pit. Arnold Bros, esti¬ 
mate that twenty thousand plants can he stored in 
a 40-foot pit, and two men in the pit, if used to tl;e 
work, can care for as much celery as 2.5 men can 
dig and deliver. 
WINTER PROTECTION.—Of course, the board 
covering does not offer sufficient protection to keep 
the celery from freezing in cold weather. In what¬ 
ever way the celery pits are constructed or the c(4ery 
stored, the roof must he covered with leaves or 
strawy manure, earth or some other material. In 
past years some growers have made liberal u.se of 
i^torintf Cclcnj hy the Box Plan. Fiy. 583 
used for removing the celery. If the air in the pits 
becomes too moist, the celery will soon spoil. There 
must he enough air at all times to keep the tops 
dry. The best temperature is about 32 degrees, 
although it often runs a little higher. Usually a 
thermometer is hung at each end of the house, with 
others at intervals if the pit is a long one. Browers 
who are going to market their celery before New 
Year’s take fewer pi’ecautions, naturally, than those 
who are planning to keep their crops until Spring. 
Comparatively few men try to carry celery until 
very late, but tho.se who do make big profits, although 
the work is very exacting. On the Russell place, 
referred to. where a specialty is made of late cel¬ 
ery, it is a common thing for Mr. Russell or his 
son to spend much of the night 
in the pits Avhen the temperature 
runs very low. Careful attention 
must he given to the ventilators in 
cold weather. 
M.VRKETINB. — Preparing celery 
for market is one of the mo.st exijcii- 
sive parts of the business. The roots 
must he carefully hunched so that 
they Avill ho uniform in size and ap¬ 
pearance. Three to five roots make 
a hunch, and 18 hunches will fill a 
bushel box. It is the custom to make 
up the hunches hy driving nails 
through the stalks. There has been 
some criticism of this idan, hut noth¬ 
ing better has been devi.sed. As a 
matter of fact, considerable celery is 
sold loose, and the plan seems to find 
increasing favor. There is no reason 
why hotels or restaurants should buy 
bunched celery. When they are buy¬ 
ing direct from the growers, they can 
get better terms and be saved some 
work by buying the celery packed 
unhunched in bushel boxes. Browei’s 
who want to make a good appearance 
on the market, and get the best prices, 
can add to the appearance of their 
celery hy tying hands around the 
stalks, the hand having the name of 
the grower printed on it. Celery must 
be handled carefully after being dug. 
It must he kept cool, and should he 
covered with wet paper after it has 
been prepared for mai’ket. Chopped ice 
is needed when the weather is warm. 
LABOR NEEDED.—The growing of 
celery around Boston has i)roved 
highly profitable in recent years. The 
market, however, is pretty well sup¬ 
plied now; sometimes, indeed, Boston 
has enough celery so that a surplus is 
shipi)ed to New York. The draw¬ 
back lies in the fact that much labor 
is needed, both to grow celery and to 
prepare it for market, and labor is 
hard to find. The work of storing 
celery and preparing it for market 
later in the year comes when school 
boys are not available. Nevertheless, 
large areas have been grown the past 
season, and much celery will be stored 
for Winter this Fall. k. i. fakringtox. 
Mas.sachusetts. 
Killing Bean and Grain Insects 
Two long division 
house to hold the 
These hoards are 
so that the contents of two 
boxes can be set side by side between them. Mhen 
one row has been completed, the rear board is lifted 
and carried six feet forward so as to form another 
row or alley. When this plan is followed, it is not 
dozen can be handled as a unit 
hoards are placed across the 
squares of plants in position, 
spaced three feet apart 
Outside ^toruye of Celery. Fiy. 585 
salt hay, putting it about a foot deep on the roof 
of tlie lit. It costs so much now, however, to get 
this hay that it is not being very generally used. 
'Phe longer the celery is to he kept, the more pro¬ 
tection it must have. Occasionally growers tise 
stoves when the Aveather gets very cold. When the 
plants are to he used (piickly, they are set so close 
tlvsit the.v touch, hut if they are to be kept until 
April or iMay, they are given more room. Sometimes 
houses are divided hy hoard partitions in order that 
different lots of celery ma.v have different treat¬ 
ment if desired. 
VENTILATION IN STORABE.—Ventilation is of 
great importance. Ventilators are made in the roof 
about <'very 10 feet. These are simply window-like 
openings with shutters to cover them, and are also 
w 
On page 1087 I saw an article regard¬ 
ing bean weevils, how to destroy them, 
but it does not tell how much bisulphide 
of carbon is needed per bushel or how 
long it should be treated. It also says 
it is death to all breathing things. I do 
not want to die for the sake of killing 
a few weevils. Will you make this 
treatment more definite? 0. M. G. 
Breeuwich, Mass. 
’’E certainly have no desire to 
encourage any good man to 
commit suicide. It will he easy to kill off the wee¬ 
vils without killing yourself, although it is true that 
this bisulphide of carbon can be used to kill any 
breathing creature. The wheat or beaus must be 
put into the bo.x or bin where the fumes of the bi¬ 
sulphide can he controlled. The advice is to use 
one pint of the Ihiuid to 1.000 cubic feet of enclosure. 
That would make a bin 10 feet square and 10 feet 
high. A smaller bin would, of course, require pro¬ 
portionally less of the chemical. A good plan is to 
put the beans or grain ’into the bin. Then put a 
deep dish on top. Keep the chemical in a bottle, 
and when you are ready take a long breath. i)ull out 
the stopper, turn your face awa.v and nxich in and 
pour the liquid into the dish or pan. Then quickly 
cover the bin with a blanket or anything else that 
