12 
The Colorado Experiment Station. 
do so. They may be planted in beds with two inches between 
plants each way. This method gives much more stocky plants and 
a much better developed root system. Sometimes the cost of trans¬ 
planting is prohibitive and a different method is substituted. One 
method is to shear off the tops of the plants once or twice in the 
bed, while in other cases, a knife, mounted on wheels, is run under 
the plants so as to cut the roots, especially the tap root, causing 
the development of a better root system. 
Setting the Plants in the Field .—For the early crop, the plants 
will be ready to set in the field in May, and for the late crop the 
latter part of June. The bed should be given a thorough sprinkling 
before removing the plants, and if they have made a vigorous 
growth, it will be advisable to cut the tops back slightly in order 
to reduce transpiration. Usually, a dibble is used to make the 
holes in which the plants are set and for pressing the soil around 
the roots. Sometimes in dry weather it may be necessary to apply 
a small amount of water around the roots of the plants as they are 
set out. 
Distances to Plant .—The distances at which the plants are set 
depends entirely on the method of blanching. There are three 
methods of blanching employed. The most common method is 
that where the plants are banked up with earth. In this case the 
rows are made five or six feet apart and the plants set six inches 
apart in the row. Sometimes double rows six inches apart, with 
six feet between the double rows are planted. This method gives 
a greater number of plants per acre than the single row method 
where there is a distance of five feet between the rows. Another 
method used quite extensively with the early crop is to blanch the 
celery with boards about twelve inches wide and sixteen to twenty 
feet in length. When this plan is followed, the rows are made 
three feet apart and the plants set six inches apart in the row. A 
heavy paper is now being manufactured which can be used instead 
of boards. With proper care this will last two or three seasons and 
is more easily handled than boards. 
“The New Celery Culture” is a term applied to the growing 
of celery so close together as to cause self-balancing to a greater or 
less extent. By this method the plants are set eight by e ght inches 
over the entire area. This crowding together causes them to grow 
tall and the shading keeps the stems from growing green. Its dis¬ 
advantage lies in the fact that the plants are more subject to dis¬ 
ease and more hand labor is required in cultivation. 
In addition to the above methods, celery may be blanched by 
wrapping the individual plants in old newspapers or by setting 
