I 
10 The Colorado Experiment Station. 
are protected from the weather in some way, they will last many 
years. The manner of their use may be seen in one of the illustra¬ 
tions. Some use wire hooks to hold the boards together instead of 
using stakes. 
By far the largest part of the crop each year is blanched by 
means of earth. One horse is used on a celery hiller, which runs 
between the rows and throws the dirt against the plants. It is gen¬ 
erally necessary to run this machine through twice in order to do a 
good job, and some times two horses must be used tandem to pull 
the hiller. Some growers like to finish the earthing with shovels 
or hand tools, but this adds to the expense. The celery hiller has 
iron rods so fixed as to lift the leaves out of the way so they will 
not become covered with earth. About four weeks are necessary 
for blanching with earth in the field. 
For later use a great deal of celery is left to grow in the field 
as long as there is no danger of frost, and then removed to trenches 
for blanching. Giant Pascal is either blanched in this way or is 
partly blanched in the field by means of “papering,” and then re¬ 
moved to the trenches. A great deal of self-blanching is also 
blanched in trenches. The celery is removed from the row, without 
trimming the roots too closely, and put into long, narrow trenches, 
so that about two-thirds of the plant will be below the level of the 
ground. From twelve to eighteen inches is as wide as the trenches 
should be made, for, if too large quantities are stored together, 
there is danger of loss from heating. The tops of the plants are 
covered with light material only as there is danger of freezing. 
When extreme cold weather comes, earth must be used for protec¬ 
tion. Careful watch must be kept to see that the celery does not 
spoil from being covered too deeply, and yet, if it is allowed to be¬ 
come frozen to any great extent, it will be unsalable. As soon as 
the plants are set in the trench, water is turned in and a thorough 
irrigation is given. This will usually furnish enough moisture for 
the crop until it is ready for the market. If, as is often the case with 
Giant Pascal, the celery is not dug until late and is to be kept far 
into the whiter, a second or a third irrigation may be necessary in 
dry seasons. 
There is a limited market for “papered” Giant Pascal celery. 
By this is meant the wrapping of each plant in paper during the 
latter part of the growing season. This work is commenced in 
August, and boys are usually hired to do it at two and one-half 
cents per dozen plants wrapped. Old daily papers are used, and one 
string holds the paper in place. It is important that this work be 
postponed until the celery is high enough so that the tops of the 
leaves will be above the paper after wrapping. Old papers can be 
bought for eight or ten dollars per ton. As soon as there is danger 
of frost the celery is dug, put in trenches, and handled in the same 
