The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-10-03
FARM AND GARDEN.
CELERY CULTURE.

Some Practical Hints rs to banking,
Gathering for Market and Pitting.
As soon as the early crops have been
cleared from between the celery rows,
furrow should be plowed away from
each side of the row with a one-horse
pillow; the burrows should not go nearer
than fifteen inches to each row. After
blowing away, turn about and pillow back
thus filling the furrow up again and con
tinue to pillow back until dead furrow
Is made in the blank space between the
rows This operation will loosen the
soil that the roots may expand, thus
making larger growth of top.
The banking of celery is one of the
taborious operations of the gardener
To render the soil for banking more
easily handled, the one-horse pillow is
run between the rows. Two separate
bankings will be required to complete
the job BY the first the plants should
be covered about half way up, and an
interval OF six days should pass before
the second banking. The object of the
first banking will be to run the hearts
of the stocks up, which it does, as they
try to get to the light and air. Very
late in the fall, if the celery is to re-
main in the ground until Thanksgiving,
third banking will be required to in
sure that tho tops shall not be injured
by hard frosts. Banking can be best
performed by employing three men at
1t. One straddles the row, walking
backwards as he gathers together the
branches or stocks of each individual
plant thus putting it in an upright pc.
Sition. The oGher two men, one on each
side Of the row, shovel the earth around
tho plants. care being taken that it does
not get in to the center of the hearts.
Gathering and preparing celery for
market are rather slow operations. Tho
first move is to plow down the bankings
with one-horse pillow. This having
been done, tho pillow is run under the
row Of plants, lifting them from the
ground. Most of the green leaves are
then pulled off the plants, the blanched
stocks only being left The fbrous
roots are next trimmed off with long.
pointed shoe-knife; great care should
be exercised in trimming lest the
sprouts should be cut. Two large wash.
tubs, such as iron-hound hogsheads
sawed in two, are used for washing the
celery. As the plants are trimmed, all
the adhering dirt is washed off with tho
hands and corn brooms in tub No. /,
after which the plants are rinsed in tub
No Q; then they are laid upon table
to drain. In boxing, the demands of
the market are that three dozen punches
should fill barrel box even full; but
as many plants will not count for one,
several smallerones are pinned together
by driving an eight-penny board nail
through the lower stock or base of the
root
The pitting of celery is rarely COM
menced until November l, and is fin
ished by the middle of the month. If
the operation is performed much earlier.
there is danger that the mild weather
will rot it. Previous to that
date it keeps much better in
the bankings, but these should be
we'll built to prevent possible hard
freeze from destroying the tops. 1t is
common to leave in the bankings all
that can be conveniently taken care OF
and sold at Thanksgiv time; but
bnOLO ID oOuIo lIoh III lCdfIllS IL OuI 81
late. The ground sometimes closes in
just previous to that date, so that the
celery can not be got out.
For late keeping in the winter celery
should not be banked long previous to
pitting-the greenor it is the longer it
can be kept If, therefore, one com.
mences banking about the middle OF
October no will be about right. The
ground a. that time is quito cool and
the celery bleaches slowly, therefore, it
will be quito green at pitting-time
Much depends upon its keeping we'll in
the pit 1t should be kept at as low a
temperature as possible without risk OF
freezing, but should We want to market
it ear in the winter the heat can be
increased by putting on the roof OF
the pit a considerable thickness OF
litter or covering; otherwise, only
very light covering should be used
until Christmas. After that tho covering
should be increased to about one foot
in thickness. Celery when green will
stand light freeze, but the same freeze
would destroy bleached celery.-Rura
New Yorker.