May 
1916 
19 
CELERY 
Complete in Twelve Reels 
Showing all the work required to raise 
a plentiful home consumption crop 
Photographed by 
I. M. ANGELL 
(l.) First prepare the bed. As celery is a rank feeder, dig in a 
plentiful supply of well-rotted horse manure. Avoid a trench, 
as this leaves air spaces through which water cannot be 
drawn 
<2.) When the soil is prepared, dig a trench 5" deep with the 
wheel-hoe. Choose the seedlings having the stockiest root 
growth. They come 100 for a dollar, and 100 is enough. Set 
them 6" apart 
(3.) Having planted—a late afternoon or a cloudy day in late May 
or early June is the best time—give them a thorough water¬ 
ing. It is also well to clip off the tops of the plants to avoid 
wilting 
(4.) Next shelter the newly transplanted seedlings from the sun. 
Use a strip of board, leaving plenty of space for air circu¬ 
lation. If they are planted right you should not lose one 
plant in a thousand 
(5.) 4s the plants begin to grow, cultivate freely, gradually filling 
up the furrow. Avoid getting dirt into the heart of the plant, 
as this checks natural growth and also spoils the shape of the 
stalk 
(6.) Occasionally in summer, as a preliminary to “ handling” 
later, run the cultivator down the line with the hoes set ivide 
apart. This draws the earth close up to the plant and begins 
the bank 
(7.) About the 1st of September the plants will be ready to 
“ handle.” Loosen the earth and draw it up further against 
the plants with a hand or wheel-hoe set as shown here in 
preparation for banking 
(8.) Then gather each bunch in one hand, dravnng the earth up 
around the stalks and packing it in place. The object of 
“ handling ” is to give the plant an upright, firm and compact 
growth 
(9.) Blanching, which gives the celery its desirable whiteness, 
begins about October 1st. There are three processes — earth¬ 
ing, paper and board. In earthing the plants are packed to 
their crowns 
(10.) To blanch with paper either roll each plant in a piece of 
building paper, tied with a string, or use a strip of tarpaper 
spread along the entire line and held in place by means of 
wooden pins 
(11.) Board blanching is the simplest atid most satisfactory. Pin 
the planks on either side of the row, leaving about 2" be¬ 
tween the top edges. This is sufficient to keep the light from 
the stalks 
(12.) And three weeks or a month after blanching, the stalks are 
ready to dig out, wash, and place on the table. In favorable 
seasons, after early planting. Celery -may be ready as early 
as October 1st 
