Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-11-25
"a: 49,
AFatRMe FO5hD
zNO GARDEN
WiNTERING CELERY.


An Improved Plan Described by u Farmer
Who Proved It's Success.
Mr.. Peter Henderson once gave the
following advice about wintering celery:
Lift the celery from where it has been
growing, when not too wet and when
not frozen, with whatever earth con-
veniently adheres. Stow away in an up
right position compactly, but without
bruising or squeezing too tightly, in a
trench just as deep as the celery is high
and not more than 10 inches wide. Cow
er with clean litter of any kind, very
lightly at first, gradually increasing I'M
til foot or so (but do not let the celery
freeze after being gathered) of litter is
placed on the celery for the coolest
weather" Any dry or bad leaves must
of course be removed before putting the
celery into-winter quarters. The ground
must be as dry as possible-a breakwater
may be necessary. A correspondent in
Country Gentleman tells that his first
successful attempt to winter celery was
when he followed this advice, which he
comments upon thus:
Good as these directions of Mr.. Hen
derson are, l found trouble from the in
roads of the mice, and from the rain and
snow being so heavy as to wet through
the mass sometimes and press too heavily
upon it, thus causing rotting. prevent
these things by making roof of boards
Cheap hemlock) like this A. This roof
| rest upon strips Of wood, say, 9 inches
thick, laid crosswise above two boards
running lengthwise of the trench and
close up to the edges Of it. Inside Of and
under the boards put covering Of only
about inches, but | ain careful to put
enough on outside, not forgetting to put
good depth Of covering on the ground
to great enough distance from the base
of the bottom boards and at the ends to
prevent the frost getting in horizontally.
The roof have just described could be
placed on small posts.
My idea of having only q slight cover
ing, or even none at all, under the roof
is to keep the mice in the litter (which
is mostly inside of the boards) as much
as possible away from the celery. How
ever, if celery has to be got out from
the trench in very cold weather. it will
be better to have number of short
trenches that will hold enough celery to
last for, say, only two takings out or tic
pack lot of litter under the boards for
about three feet back from the opening
each time after taking ont some celery.
This will prevent freezing way back
along the line of the trench. This pack
ing can be done very rapidly, even before
any celery is taken out, each time, by
running the packing in by means of r
stick. The roof keeps away too much
wet and prevents any weight from press
ing on the celery, for squeezing it is in
furious. When the roof is placed Oh
strips separating it from the bottom
boards, it is so as to admit a slight cir,
culation Of air.
Before closing wish to call attention
to one point more, and that is that if the
earth is mellowed in the trench before
placing the celery in it the celery begins
to take root more quickly. The reason
why the celery keeps SO well in such a
trench (and blanches) is that it grows,
and growing in the dark it grows white.
The trench must not be wider than 10
inches, because celery is of such nature
that it heats if put up in too great a
mass.