82 
CULTURE OF CELERY. 
cultivation. There have been single roots of Celery exhibited in 
Manchester which have weighed twenty five pounds each, hut let it 
be remarked, there was a deception practised on such roots by load¬ 
ing them with white sand ,—a circumstance which ought to be recorded 
with all the odium attachable to such conduct. However, it is a cer¬ 
tain fact, that roots, clean and free from all such scandalous trickery, 
have been shewn, weighing eighteen pounds each. During last sum¬ 
mer, three roots, to which was awarded the first prize at the Man¬ 
chester Botanical Gardens, weighed upwards of thirty pounds, on the 
18th of September; and three other roots were subsequently extracted 
from the same row, or trench, in regular succession, which weighed 
forty-five pounds collectively. It is an humiliating reflection, that 
such described celery was grown by a paper-maker, and not by a 
Gardener. Whilst the culture of Celery at Manchester has attained 
such an high state of perfection, is it not amazing, that throughout a 
great part of the kingdom, roots weighing from two to three pounds, 
and otherwise defective, should obtain first prizes at the numerous 
Horticultural Exhibitions ? Do not such plain truths indubitably 
prove a general inertness, or inaptitude for improvement in Horticul¬ 
ture, as contrasted with other sciences ? From whence these interro¬ 
gatories are extracted, others succeed, which might by possibility lead 
to discussion irrelevant to this subject, and are consequently withheld. 
When a mere tyro, in a Gentleman’s Garden, a severe rebuke 
received, for presuming to suggest the propriety of planting Celery 
in trenches less deep than those which immured every leaf of the 
plant beneath the level of the circumjacent earth, dwells yet fresh 
upon the memory. To harsh language, threats were added, for dar¬ 
ing to think, yet thought revelled unconfined, although the tongue 
was chained by the iron hand of tyranny! and meditation urged on to 
experiment which fully realized my buoyant hopes, and brought 
conviction of the justness of my young idea. 
There is a new variety of Celery, which has probably not hitherto 
been noticed in any gardening Periodical or other publication, desig¬ 
nated the salmon coloured, and it certainly surpasses every other 
kind in size, flavour, crispness and elegance of growth. Being 
possessed of these desirable qualifications, it will undoubtedly soon 
make its way into general cultivation; although the seed for the present 
cannot be purchased at any seed shop; and it has been sold at a much 
higher rate per ounce than sterling Gold. The true salmon coloured 
may be distinguished from the others by the leaf stalks changing to 
a green colour before blanching, which is not the case with the pink 
or red varieties. The salmon coloured is unquestionably the best 
