280 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July i3. 
CELERY CULTURE. 
Tn continuation cf the remarks made at page 22 L on 
this vegetable, it will be proper to consider for what 
especial purpose the Celery may be wanted. Many of 
our amateur friends disregard everything except the 
having their Celery very large, but this is not always 
wanted in private families; for it does not keep so well 
ns some of more humble growth, much on the same 
principle that timber of very rapid growth is seldom 
if ever so durable as where it advances more gra¬ 
dually and slowly; now, as it is important that the 
supply for a family of rank should be continued for as 
long a period as possible, the very largo heads, of which 
the exhibiting cultivator was so proud in September, 
are not necessarily the best at the end of March ; on 
the contrary, the exertion the plant made to accomplish 
a certain growth in a specified time was incompatible 
with that firmness and stability so necessary a part of 
its keeping qualities ; now, as this keeping property must 
always be accomplished in some mode or other, a few 
words on that subject will not, perhaps, be entirely 
l thrown away. 
As has been said, the Celery is a native of wet, 
, marshy places by the sides of ditches, and other situa- 
■ tions where moisture is prevalent at one season or 
! another, and most generally at all times; now, it is 
reasonable to infer, that the plant is a toper, in regards 
i to its liking for fluids, and consequently will, on the 
other hand, dislike a soil of a contrary description ; yet 
this is not entirely borne out by the facts of the case, for 
the Celery of the ditch may have been driven there 
by a more robust vegetation occupying all the sound 
and healthy land in its neighbourhood, and if this 
theory be right, the Celery inhabits those wet places 
only in consequence of being compelled to do so, a 
stouter neighbour having driven it there; be this as it 
may, certain it is, that Celery relishes a rich, nutritious 
soil which partakes of moisture rather than otherwise, 
hence the propriety of selecting such a piece of ground 
for it, in all instances, where the choice can be made; 
and where that cannot be, let the best substitute be 
adopted that circumstances admit of; for instance, a 
very dry sand may be rendered more suitable for this 
plant by the site of the respective rows being deepened, 
and soil of an opposite nature being added in liberal 
quantities, and afterwards kept moist, so as to ensure 
the roots deriving the full advantage which their 
adopted soil presents; in general, the subsoil of dry 
grounds is a sort of hungry sand or gravel, or,it may be, 
chalk, all of which are obnoxious to the Celery, so that, 
to ensure the roots of it ample space to ramify in 
without coming in contact with the deleterious matter, 
some considerable depth, say at least twelve inches from 
the bottom of the trench, must be provided of a good 
healthy soil, which may be more or less mixed with en¬ 
riching matter, as the wants or means of the cultivator 
may dictate. Usually, many private individuals, who 
only grow a limited quantity of Celery, like to have it 
very good, i.e., very large ; this, however, is not always 
the case with those who have to supply the wants of a 
family of rank, for with them quantity is not unusually 
of more consequence then mere size, for there are so 
many purposes to which a single head, be it ever so 
large, only one, the outside of it being so reduced as to 
come down to the standard size of what fashion or 
custom has established such things ought to be ; hence 
the waste of so much that is useful in large heads of 
Celery ; nevertheless, there are certain purposes which 
it cannot be too large for, and a part ought to be 
grown so if possible. 
j As has before been said, the bulk of Celery planted 
| for winter and spring use had better not be’ indulged 
| with too many good things, it is only fair to observe, 
that a directly contrary course will be equally disas- 
terous, as very small, badly-grown Celery will be 
anything but creditable to the cultivator, while it 
unquestionably stands the severities of the season, but 
consequently a small portion ought to be planted in that ' 
way, in order that some may bo had as late in the ! 
spring as possible for the many kitchen purposes to 1 
which this vegetable is put, for it is needless to say that | 
only good, fair-grown Celery is fit for salad purposes. 
It may not be out of place here to mention, that as 
Celery does not require planting until late in summer, say 
from the beginning of July to the end of August, for the 
general crop, the ground it occupies may have been 
under crop for something else; and as in all well-kept 
kitchen gardens, the whole space is usually kept hard at 
work, this part needs no exception ; neither does it re¬ 
quire here any comment on the crop it ought to follow, 
because, in the general rotation of crops that ought to 
be kept in mind, and acted upon accordingly, but it is 
proper to observe, that when a plot is at liberty that has 
liad potatoes or early peas, such spaces are to be pre¬ 
ferred to one having been under crop of some of the 
Cabbage tribe. 
As there are so many kinds of Celery, all claiming 
merits in their several ways, beside which many districts 
possess varieties known only amongst themselves, but 
possessing all that is required in a good head of Celery, 
it is only necessary here to direct the attention of 
growers to the fact, that but little attention has hitherto 
been given to the qualifications necessary to insure a 
very late supply. Size, solidity, and crispness, each 
respective kind assumes to possess, but a very late and 
yet useful kind seems wanting to fill up the catalogue. 
Hardihood is also wanting in some otherwise good; 
Coles's Crystal White is lamentably deficient that way; 
and, as the power to resist cold often diminishes as the 
cultivation of the plant improves, it would be proper to 
see what could be done to counteract that. Seed saved on 
some bleak, chilly district will no doubt produce an 
offspring more hardy than the same would do if from 
therich, warm quarters of a well-sheltered garden; hence 
the propriety of endeavouring to have seed so obtained. 
The farmer often does the same thing with his wheats, 
aud we ought not to be behind him ; as good Celery is 
an article relished by every one, it would be advisable 
trying every means that could be adopted to ensure its 
being so; and, in doing that, it is feared, sufficient 
attention has not been paid to the hardihood of the 
plant so improved. 
There are few things bear transplanting better than 
Celery; in fact, it has been asserted that it is improved 
by it, but that is questionable; certain, however, it is, 
that with care, plants of a large size may be removed 
with ease and safety ; its roots are so formed as to attach 
to them a considerable quantity of the earth, or other 
matter in which it is growing, hence they lift with balls 
of almost any size, and as their final resting place may 
not be at liberty at the precise moment most proper to 
plant them, some suitable nursery bed ought to be 
chosen wherein they might remain until their proper 
place be ready ; but while in this preparatory state, care 
must be taken not to starve them, otherwise the disposi¬ 
tion to run to seed will be encouraged, which will shew 
itself afterwards. 
Where economy of space is an important feature in 
Celery growing, the “ broad trench ” offers many advan¬ 
tages, by more than double the usual number of plants 
being grown on the same spot of ground, but they are 
seldom grown so fine that way; nevertheless, it would be 
advisable to try a part on that principle, and to give the 
rest separate rows; observe, that a broad trench is only 
available to advantage on dry ground, at least the plants 
do not stand the winter so well in it, but it offers many 
temptations; thus we would recommend our young 
