76 
A KITCHEN GARDEN 
the manure with a fine rake until the manure is cov¬ 
ered about three inches. This will still leave a depth 
of about two inches below the surface, which will 
serve to draw and retain the rain water, or, in a dry 
time, can be flooded with a hydrant hose or irrigating 
ditch. Where the ground has been heavily enriched 
or the celery is planted as the first crop—that is, when 
no early vegetable precedes it on the same ground— 
no manure is used in the trench or furrow, which is 
plowed out in the same way, the additional depth 
assisting in the labor of earthing up for blanching. 
To obtain fine quality and appearance the plant 
should be pushed to as rapid a growth as possible 
from the time the seed is sown until the stalks are 
ready for use; if allowed to become stunted, the stalks 
will be knotty in appearance and bitter in taste. 
For my own use and marketing I usually sow seed 
of two or three varieties, so that if one kind fails for 
any reason, I may still have a crop sufficient for the 
table from the other varieties, while if it is all good I 
have no difficulty in disposing of the surplus; this is 
the more easily done, as it occupies ground that has 
been cleared of early peas, corn, etc. Another point 
in not confining your planting to the one variety is 
that the handsome “ Self-blanching ” varieties are 
not good keepers, and as the older kinds take a long 
time to whiten, and a good deal of cold weather to 
develop the fine flavor, they are about ready for use 
when the early kinds are gone. 
While celery is raised as a second crop and has 
always been considered to require frost to develop the 
fine nutty flavor, at least one row in the garden should 
