Vegetable Growing in Colorado. 
13 
pieces of tile around them. In fact, anything which keeps out the 
light will serve the purpose. 
Cultivation .—Frequent surface cultivation should be the rule 
with celery. The plant needs abundant moisture and everything 
possible should be done to retain moisture in the soil. In irrigat¬ 
ing, a thorough wetting should be given and then withhold water 
until it is needed again. The grower must always keep in mind, 
however, that the plant requires a large amount of water. 
Celery plants must never be allowed to become checked if pos¬ 
sible to prevent it, as checking injures the quality and is apt to 
cause the plants to run to seed. 
Blanching .—The methods of blanching celery have already 
been outlined. When the crop is blanched by means of boards, 20,- 
000 to 30,000 feet of lumber are required for blanching an acre. If 
all the celery is not needed at one time, the same boards can be used 
for blanching two or three lots, so that less than the above will be 
required per acre. The time for blanching is from ten to thirty 
days. The early crop usualy requires less time than the late crop. 
The plants should not be allowed to stay in the field after blanching, 
as the quality is injured thereby. 
When the crop is blanched with earth it is almost always of 
better flavor than when other methods are employed. The bank¬ 
ing up of the soil around the plants may be done by hand or a cel¬ 
ery “fuller” may be used. This is a plow having large moldboards 
which bank the soil against the plants. Before it is used, a small 
amount of soil must be placed around the base of the plants to hold 
them in an upright and compact position. When celery is to be 
kept in storage for some time it is not necessary to blanch it in the 
field. If stored in a dark cellar blanching will take place there. 
Sometimes the blanching is begun in the field by banking the soil 
partly up around the plants and the process is completed in storage. 
Harvesting, Storing and Marketing .—If the plants have been 
blanched with earth, they are taken up by means of a digger, hav¬ 
ing a U-shaped blade which runs under the plants and cuts the 
roots, slightly lifting them at the same time. The plants can then 
be easily lifted. 
If blanched with boards, the plants can be cut slightly below the 
surface with a large knife. 
When the plants are to be shipped long distances, they are not 
trimmed, but packed in crates or put into cars in bulk. If the celery 
is to be sold in a near market, the plants are trimmed and washed 
and tied in bunches of one dozen plants each, after which they are 
packed in crates and sold. 
Celery can be stored in an ordinary cellar by placing the roots 
