This is one of the finest of our table vegetables, eaten raw with salt,
or in soups. Sow seed, early in spring, in open ground; or sow in
hotbeds, if you wish it very early. When the plants are six inches high,
they should be transplanted in trenches eighteen inches deep, containing
six inches of well-rotted manure or compost. This should be well
watered, and fine mould mixed with it, and the plants placed in it eight
inches apart. The trenches should be from four to six feet apart. If the
weather be warm and sun bright at the time of transplanting, a board
laid lengthwise over the top of the trench will afford perfect
protection. As the plants grow, draw the earth up to them, not allowing
it to separate the leaves; do this two or three times during the season,
and the stalks will be beautifully bleached. Heavy loam is much better
than sand.
_Preserving_ for winter is best done by taking up late in the fall,
cutting the small roots off, and rounding down to a point the large
root, removing the coarse, useless leaves, and placing in a trench at an
angle of forty-five degrees, so that six inches of the upper end of the
leaves will be above the surface. Cover with soil and place poles over,
and cover with straw, and in a very cold climate cover with earth. Keep
out the water. The end can be opened to take it out whenever you please,
and it will be as fresh as in the fall. This is better than the methods
of keeping in the cellar; it is more certain, and keeps the celery in
perfect condition.