120 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 29, 
disappear. The beautiful little green berries that 
succeed the flowers embellish the plant till very late 
in the year; they tip the little cluster of spikes 
from which the blossoms fall, and very much re¬ 
semble the original bloom. An infusion of these 
berries is an excellent remedy in cases of rheu¬ 
matism ; and the leaves boiled in water would be in¬ 
valuable to cottagers, if they would use so simple a 
cure. Want of cleanliness, too, often causes very un¬ 
pleasant effects, and if the mother would wash the 
heads of her children in this decoction, it would en¬ 
tirely restore them to health and comfort. I always 
grieve to see a tree laden and oppressed with a mass 
of ivy; yet, what a beautiful object it is, especially 
now, when all around is desolate. Sometimes, in a 
secluded spot, we open upon a single tree, standing 
quietly muffled in a green, glossy mantle, as if com¬ 
fortably wrapped up from the cold. In a wintry 
scene, such a mass of verdure is very refreshing to 
the eye, and it has reminded me, too, of Truth stand¬ 
ing calm and unchangeable amid the lying vanities 
of this poor perishing world. How delightful it is, 
too, at this season, to see the bright green lines in 
the ploughed fields, marking the springing up of 
the young wheat—England’s staple commodity in 
the days of her highest prosperity. Let us pray 
that it may always contiirue so, that there may be no 
complaining in our streets. The wheat is a plant 
deeply interesting to the Christian also: it is se¬ 
lected to assure us of one great and glorious truth; 
it answers the solemn question, “ How are the dead 
raised up? and with what body do they come?” Very 
simple things teach us very deep lessons; and it has 
pleased a gracious Father to impart strong consola¬ 
tion by means of this beautiful figure, so frequently 
before our eyes, and so easy to be understood. Let 
us hear its voice. Let the bright blade, springing 
from corruption, from the grain “whichis not quick¬ 
ened except it die,” picture to our hearts this pre¬ 
cious truth—“ Now is Christ risen from the dead, 
and become the first-fruits of them that slept.” 
Country walks may in this way become doubly in¬ 
teresting and very instructive. Only let us set our 
hearts by the word of God as we set our clocks by 
the sun, and then we shall never go wrong; our eyes 
shall see, our ears shall hear, and our hearts shall 
perceive and understand. 
CELERY CULTURE. 
The uniform kindness and urbanity with which 
you acknowledge, and the readiness with which you 
admit into the pages of The Cottage Gardener, 
communications, however humble they may be, pro¬ 
vided they contribute something to the common 
stock of experience, induces me to offer you my mite 
in the shape of a few observations on the cultivation 
of celery, and its importance in a culinary point of 
view, a subject which suggested itself to me on read¬ 
ing the practical remarks on the different methods 
of treating this plant by your correspondent C. in 
the concluding Number of vol. ii. of your valuable 
periodical. 
In the majority of gardens celery appears to be 
grown solely for its estimable qualities as a salad, to 
be eaten in its raw state, and certainly a most deli¬ 
cious relish it is, especially as an adjunct to good old 
cheese ; but as thus eaten it can scarcely be regarded 
otherwise than as a luxury, and owing to the amount 
of manure, room, and attention required in its cul¬ 
tivation, of too expensive a nature to admit of its 
being grown to any great extent as such except in 
the gardens of the wealthy. There is, however, ano¬ 
ther and less common but more profitable mode of 
using it, to which I here wish to direct attention, and 
in consideration of which I think a far higher im¬ 
portance attaches to its culture; for in virtue of its 
employment as a culinary vegetable, which is that 
to which I here allude, it might be advantageously 
grown on a larger scale in many gardens where it is 
now almost a stranger, and even profitably introduced 
into those of cottagers, whose small dimensions, and 
considerations of the pot, preclude anything in the 
shape of a mere luxury. I think those who have 
been accustomed to use it—as I have for some years 
—as a culinary vegetable will agree with me in think¬ 
ing that it has claims to be regarded as one of the 
best and most palatable autumn and early winter 
vegetables we possess, and far superior to the coarser ' 
kinds of greens, such as cabbages, savoys, kales, &c., ,■ 
with which the generality of gardens are alone stocked 
at this period of the year; and let those who have 
never eaten it in this form try it either simply boiled, 
and eaten like any other vegetable with roast and 
savoury meats of any description, or served with 
white sauce, or melted butter, or, better still, stewed 
in a little gravy for a short time after boiling, and I 
think they will he of my opinion, and thank me for 
the recommendation. But in thus advocating its 
general use as a culinary esculent I am far from 
wishing that it should supersede its employment in 
the usual form ; on the contrary', it might be econo¬ 
mically applied to both uses conjointly, for much of 
what is discarded as unfit for eating in a raw state 
will serve admirably for cooking purposes; indeed, 
all the blanched portions would do for this (though 
the whole plant cut down the middle is certainly 
preferable, and makes a handsomer dish), and the 
heart might still be reserved for salad. 
Now, with respect to cultivation. The conclusion I 
have come to, after some years’ experience, is, that in 
order to produce celery of a superior quality, as well 
as size, it should have not only a liberal allowance . 
of well-decomposed farm-yard manure in the outset, 
but, in addition to this, frequent and plentiful sup¬ 
plies of liquid manure throughout the early and 
middle periods of its growth—that is, from the time 
the plants in the trenches begin to grow freely until 
the earthing up has been carried so far as to extend 
beyond the limits of the trench—and even after it 
lias attained to this stage I find it very advantageous 
to continue the supplies of liquid, which is easily 
done by making a perpendicular cutting through the 
soil down upon the trench about eight inches from 
the plants, and thus making a sort of canal for its 
reception. This operation is only required to be done 
on one side; for if the cutting be made so as to fall 
within the trench, and the canal opened down to the 
sm’face of the manure, the latter will act as a sponge, 
and, sufficient liquid being given, will saturate the 
whole body of manure in the trench. 
With regard to the three different methods men¬ 
tioned by your correspondent C., I do not think it 
materially matters which of them is adopted, provided 
the above conditions relative to the abundant sup¬ 
plies of liquid manure are properly observed. That 
of Mr. Nutt is, perhaps, best calculated to bring the 
plant to the gigantic proportions for which he is so 
celebrated, but it involves a larger expenditure of 
manure than most gardens can well afford, and Mr. 
Turnerx plan, with less than half the quantity, is 
better adapted for general crops. The latter is the 
one I have usually followed, but this year I have 
adopted a modification of it, which has succeeded so 
well that I would strongly recommend those who are 
