May, 1910 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
189 
one by one into other flats, setting them about an inch 
apart each way. A better root system may be formed 
if the tap-root is removed in every case. In about two 
weeks, when the plants have started to grow nicely they may 
be transferred to other flats again, giving them a little more 
room. This second pricking out is not necessary but tends 
to make stockier plants. About two weeks before planting time 
the young plants should be placed outside during the day to 
harden off. 
TRANSPLANTING 
There are several methods of growing celery, but the one most 
satisfactory for small gardens is the trench method. A trench 
about eight or ten inches in depth is dug and about half filled 
with well rotted stable manure. The manure should be mixed 
thoroughly with about the same quantity of fine soil, leaving the 
trench nearly filled. The plants, after watering, are taken from 
the flats, and set about five or six inches apart along the trench. 
In setting the plants it is important to firm the soil well around the 
plants. The tips of the leaves are usually cut off at the time of 
transplanting to prevent excessive transpiration. They should 
be shaded from the hot sun for several days after planting. This 
may be done by placing boards over the trench. The plants should 
be shaded only when the sun is very hot. Every precaution 
should be taken to prevent the plants from drying out. There is 
danger also of having them too wet. As the plants become larger 
care should be exercised in keeping water from the heart or inner 
leaves of the plant, and the plants should not be handled while 
they are wet with dew or rain. 
BLANCHING 
Probably the simplest and 
most satisfactory method of 
blanching celery is that of 
standing boards on edge on 
each side of the row. They 
should be sloped inward some¬ 
what at the top and held 
firmly in place with cleats at 
intervals across the top. The 
soil should be banked up 
against the boards on the out¬ 
side so that the latter may be 
raised from time to time. The 
boards should come up 
almost to the tops of the 
plants and be raised as the 
plants grow. 
INTENSIVE CULTURE 
Those who have only a 
small area at their disposal 
will be interested to know that 
it is possible with special treat¬ 
ment to grow 400 bunches of 
celery on ten square feet of 
soil. To do this the soil must 
be extremely rich and the 
plants set six inches apart 
each way. Water must be 
supplied liberally whenever 
the plants require it. Another 
advantage of this method is 
that the plants being close to¬ 
gether will blanch themselves. 
The varieties White Plume and 
Golden Self Blanching are 
better suited to this system of 
culture. While it is not always possible to produce extra large 
bunches in this way, large yields of medium-sized bunches may be 
confidently expected. 
THE LATE CROP 
The growing of the late crops for fall and winter use differs 
very little from that of the early crop. The seed for this purpose 
is usually sown about April in a hotbed in the garden and the 
seedlings transplanted once or twice before being set in their 
permanent position. The late crop of celery usually follows some 
other crop such as beans, peas, radishes, lettuce, or beets and is not 
planted until about the middle or last of July. The blanching may 
be done in the same way as described for the early crop, but where 
there is plenty of room the rows may be farther apart and the 
plants blanched by banking them with soil. This is done by 
grasping the plant with one hand and packing the soil tightly 
around it with the other. More soil is then banked up against the 
plants with a hoe. In order to get enough soil for this purpose 
the rows should be at least four feet apart. In small plantations, 
however, the necessary soil may be carried in with a wheel-barrow. 
To avoid so much hand work the leaves may be tied up with weak 
twine or yarn. The string may be attached to a stake at the end 
of the row, twined around each plant, and the other end fastened 
to a stake at the other end of the row. The soil then can be banked 
up with a hoe without the preliminary handling. The important 
part about blanching is to keep the light entirely away from the 
leaf-stalks, leaving only the tops of the leaves exposed. 
STORING THE SURPLUS 
The most convenient way 
to store celery on a small scale 
is to cut off the bulk of the 
roots and pack tightly in 
boxes. The boxes should be 
about two feet deep and each 
supplied with three or four 
inches of light soil or coal 
ashes, into which to pack the 
bases of the bunches. The 
soil should be kept moist, not 
wet, by pouring water through 
a long-throated funnel. If 
any water should get on the 
leaves it is likely to produce 
disease. The boxes should be 
stored in a cool, dark cellar or 
shed. If stored in this way 
and kept at a uniformly low 
temperature, it is possible to 
preserve it in good shape till 
the following spring. 
IN CONCLUSION 
There has been a wide¬ 
spread impression among 
amateur gardeners that celery 
is one of the very difficult 
crops—one to be attempted 
only if one had the assistance 
of an expert gardener. From 
the foregoing instructions it 
will be understood, I trust, 
that celery-growing is a com¬ 
paratively simple matter after 
all, and there is no doubt that 
the home-grown fresh product 
amply repays the little care 
expended upon it. 
Nearly every grower of celery has his own pet system of J blanching the 
stalks. Boards, standing upon edge on either side of the rows, sloping 
somewhat towards the plants and held in position by cleats nailed across 
the top_at intervals, form probably the most satisfactory method 
