Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-04
HOW TO RAISE CELERY.

In an article on celery culture, appearing
in Home and Farm, DR. E. N. Elliott says
he has been raising this well-known garden
vegetable for many years, operating in both
Mississippi and Kentucky, and that he has
always succeeded in getting a superior pro-
duct with comparatively little labor. He
has found the self bleaching kinds the best
to grow. OF these he prefers a variety
known as Heuderson's white plume. A
black clay soil is preferred-iT bottom land
| and inclined to moist all the better, pro-
vided it is not wet and soggy, for celery
likes moist soil.
If not naturally very rich, the land should
be wel-manured. Pulverize deeply in the
spring, and rake level and smooth. Draw
parallel and straight marks across the seed
bed, one foot apart Prepare a drill by
boring, with a round awl, hole from the
inside of small tin can (snuff box) just
large enough to let one seed through at a
time when Jared; fasten this to a broom
handle about yard long. Carry the can
close above your drill-mark, tapping the end
Of the stick to make the seed pass through.
y y
the thicker you will plant the seed. Then
give the drills good watering with fine
sprinkler This covers the seed deep
enough. If the weather should
be dry, repeat the watering as
often as is considered necessary to prevent
drouth.
So soon as the plants can be seen in the
drills shave off with sharp hoe the surface
Of the middles close up to the line of plants,
and as soon as weeds appear in the drills
finger-weed them out and thin the plants if
you have drilled too much. No two plants
should be nearer than an inch apart. If
this is well done the main trouble is over,
and you will have no reason to transplant,
and will have good crop of early stocl1y
plants.
To grow these plants, have your ground
rich and well pulverized at least full
spade deep, as celery has a long tap root
and will go deep to find moisture. Lay off
the rows by line one foot apart and plant
five or six inches apart in the row and firm
the soil well about the plants If the
weather is dry, give half pint of water to
each plant, and then cover the wet spot
with dry soil to prevent baking. Cultivate
shallow, root out weeds, keep the surface
loose and friable. If you should have
drouth, you must irrigate, as celery will
not grow well without plenty Of water
When about six inches high it will need
handling; that is, the outside leaves which
tend to spread out on the ground must he
raised up and supported to prepare it for
blanching. To do this, run handplow,
with narrow bul-tongue. gently between
the rows; this rolls the soil under
the leaves and lifts them up.
This may be done two or three times, till
the teaves generally stand straight up. A
four-inch garden hoe, with pointed back,
may be used instead of the plow.
Provide planks about threesfourths as
wide as the celery is high. Place one on
each side of row about four inches apart,
and fasten them perpendicular with stakes
driven into the ground. This brings the
stalks close enough to make them blanch
beautifully, and as there is nc soil piled
against them they show no sign of rust,
but come out white and clear, which is
often not the case when earthed up in the
usual manner.
By adopting this system of close plant
ing, ana blanching with boards, fully four
times as much celery can be grown on
given acreage as could be grown on the
same acreage under the old plan, and with
less than one-tenth the labor.