CELERY.

While one of the most troublesome vegetables to bring to perfection

in the ordinary garden, this is one of the most desirable, as well as

one of the most profitable, when well grown. The Michigan celery that

is being shipped to our eastern cities in such large quantities does

not seem to have lowered the price materially, but has crowded all the

inferior and less finely-grown plants out of the markets, and the high

express charges still guarantee a good profit to the near-by grower.

When the ground has become fairly warm in the spring, a bed should be

made in some shady corner for the seed; if such situation is not to

be had, the seed can be sown in a spent hotbed, cold frame or other

convenient place, and can be artificially shaded with fresh brush or

lath shades through the hottest part of the day. Celery is naturally a

swamp plant, and to make a rapid growth should have the ground as rich

as possible, and also as much water as possible, without making the

ground heavy and sour. The soil should not be allowed to become dry or

baked, and the weeds should be pulled out as soon as they appear. This

bed, and, indeed, all other seed beds, should be made very rich with

well-rotted manure; not with horse-stable manure or phosphate, as both

of them are dry and heating, and in dry weather would stunt or entirely

burn up the young plants. The seed should be sown in drills about six

inches apart, to admit of working the soil with a narrow hoe, as the

continued watering will harden the surface of the bed and check the

growth of the young plants. When the plants are well up they should

be thinned out so as to stand an inch apart in the drills, and if the

plants are ready some little time before they are wanted for setting

out, they can be made more stocky and stronger by shearing off about

half of the tops.

When ready to set out, I run a double furrow where the row is to

be--that is, the plow is run both ways in the same furrow, casting up a

ridge of dirt on either side of a shallow trench; then in the bottom of

this trench fine compost or well-rotted manure is placed to the depth

of one to two inches, and some of the fine soil from the sides is drawn

down over the manure with a fine rake until the manure is covered

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 be planted with a “Self-blanching” variety as early

in the spring as the plants can be procured. For this it is a good

plan to sow two or three drills of celery in the hotbed at the same

time with tomatoes, peppers, etc., that they may be ready for planting

out early in the spring. These will grow quickly before the very hot

weather sets in, and in a favorable season will be ready for use by the

latter part of August; if kept earthed up they will be of as handsome

appearance and as crisp and fine flavored as are the older varieties in

December.

For the main crop the young plants should be ready to set out by the

1st of July, though in a favorable locality they can be planted as late

as the middle of August, as they spend the summer largely in making

roots and do not grow much until the cool weather. As soon as the

plants attain eight to ten inches in height, or, rather, _length of

leaf stalk_ as they lie spread out, the earthing up should begin on

all kinds of celery, although the seed catalogues will tell you that it

is unnecessary in self-bleaching kinds. These latter may be bleached

easily by tying the stalks together with straw or soft twine, but the

earthing-up process is much more satisfactory both to produce a compact

bunch of stalks and an even whiteness in color; otherwise, the outside

stalks will remain green.

My plan in earthing for the first time, or “handling,” as it is called,

is to have the dirt loose and fine on each side of the row, then to

stand astride the row, gather all the leaves up and hold them closely

in the left hand, and with a short-handled hoe draw the loose dirt in

and pack it firmly around the stalks, leaving about two inches of the

tips stick out at the top. It is important to hold the stalks closely,

that the dirt may not sift down among the stalks, which would either

rot the heart or cause the inner stalks to become twisted and crooked.

The second and succeeding bankings are done by a boy standing over the

row, clasping the stems in his hand closely, while a man on each side

banks up the loose dirt with a shovel; as they raise the bank the boy

slides his hand further up the stalks, until, as before, all but two

inches of the tips are covered. The boy moves along the row backward,

facing the two men who are using the shovels; as they finish one plant

he grasps and bunches another, always having a plant in each hand. This

method is a great time saver, and also enables the work to be done more

neatly than where the plant has to be held while the dirt is drawn from

a distance with the hoe. This earthing up should be repeated every two

or three weeks until it is time to store the celery for the winter.

Immediately before banking, I run the light plow or the cultivator on

each side of the row, which furnishes plenty of fine, loose dirt ready

for use. The soil will pack better and remain in the banked form better

if it is moist when handled, but must not be so wet as to be sticky,

for it would then “rust” or spot the stalk. The plants should be set

in rows five or six feet apart, so that there may be plenty of soil

for the earthing up and room to pass between the rows when banked; the

taller growing varieties will require full six feet between the rows.

About the third week in November the celery should be dug and stored;

for if it is left out longer, there is danger of its being spoiled by

hard freezing. If it is to go in the cellar it should be stood upright

in barrels or in boxes, the sides of which are as high as the stalks

are tall, so as to keep them straight and white; the roots are left on

and packed in moist soil, in order to keep the plants fresh and crisp;

but the soil must not be allowed to come up among the stalks, or it

might cause them to rot. The root cellar must be kept cool and have

plenty of air whenever it can be admitted without freezing the contents

of the cellar.

[Illustration:

Illustration showing the manner of storing celery in the

field for early use. C. Plants of celery. D. Banks of soil.

S. Straw covering. E. Board laid on top of the straw to keep

it in place.]

Another plan is to set the plants on a well-drained plot, side by side

in a long row, three or four plants wide and as closely together as

possible; earth banks are then raised on each side of the row about

four to six inches thick at the top, and the ends closed in the same

manner. The roots are packed solidly in the soil, and the banks are

carried up level with the longest tops; when the very cold weather

sets in the whole top, banks and leaves, is covered with straw, leaves

or corn fodder, to keep the frost out. I would not recommend this

method of storing unless it is expected to have the supply all used

or marketed by the 1st of January. The best way to store celery is in

a hotbed or cold frame, which is built two or three feet deep in the

ground, as already described. The celery plants are set side by side in

this, as in the boxes or barrels, and the roots tightly packed in moist

soil; then the sash can be put on at nights and in the daytime can be

entirely removed or slightly raised to admit air, according to the

temperature. On very cold nights the sash can have an extra covering

of straw or old carpet, and if there is a heavy fall of snow it can be

left on a few days, until the weather again becomes warmer. Stored in

this manner, it is no trouble to get the celery when wanted; it can

be given plenty of air, without which it will not keep, and the late

kinds, if packed closely together, will complete their bleaching. If

the kinds which require blanching are not kept earthed up as the growth

advances, it will be almost impossible to blanch them.