The morning news., 1894-07-30
Notes on southern oelory CROWNS

Notes on Southern Celery Growing.
Our summer and autumn droughts pre-
sent such serious obstacles to the growing
OF celery successfully, IL is the reason
why so little southern grown is found in
our markets. II is vegetable that re-
quires for its best development moist.
bottom soils that are naturally rich in all
the elements of plant food. Celery is
marsh plant, in fact, and demands a con
slant supply of water during the season
of growth. In hot weather the evapora-
ton from its leaves is very great and un-
less this loss Is promptly replaced the
plant soon willis, and receives a set back
from which 1t RECEIVERS slowly.
1t requires great care and watchful-
ness in the attempt to grow it with any
degree of success on dry uplands, and it
must be admitted. the ma GRITTY of garden
ers in the south have heretofore failed to
make it profitable crop Most of them
conclude sooner or later that the crop
costs more than it comes TO, taking the
seasons rs they come.
This refers to summer or late spring
SET celery which is intended for fall aud
early winter maturity. There is no ques,
tlon that 1t can be grown with some de-
gree of success under a system of mulch
ing and irrigation, of watering, but the
generality of gardeners with us are not
painstaking enough to make anything like
q great success OF Lne WORK
A plant so useful as celery should be
grown in every garden, even if it is not
| blanched for market purposes IL is not
necessary TO tell those who have had ex-
perience that the process of blanching
with soil in our average dry and hot au.
tumns causes the loss Of much celery that
had been very promising up to that time
There is no need for blanching celery
that is only used for seasoning or that is
to be cooked and served like asparagus.
I But few persons comparatively are aware
what choice dish cooked celery makes
when properly cooked and served with
butter, pepper, etc. 1t is generally used
with US as raw salad, simply eaten with
salt. When bleached and used while
fresh and crisp it is dish always rel
| ished by cultivated tastes and, as is well
known, possesses a therapeutic value in
nearly all cases of nervous disorder.
! The old time way of growing celery
was 10 set out the plants, in late spring
or early summer, in deep trenches that
had been dug out and manured a few
weeks previously. The tall growing kinds
were mostly used, and the trenches made
| 3l5 10 4 feet apart. This plan has been
| greatly modified of late years, and the
| course, tall, half hollow sort entirely dis
| carded along with the deep trenches.
| The tall varieties still grown, mostly in
! the kinds usually grown by amateurs
! especially, are the dwarf and half dwarf
varieties, such as the Boston Market
! Golden Dwarf, White Plume, Crawford S
| Half Dwarf. There is also red variety
much liked by some. OF course, new
names are added every year, but the
above EN- brace the most desirabl kinds.
! There is the Mammoth Solid for those
| who prefer the large kind. These diva rf
| Il pl in do hxT
the plow, not deeper than or inches in
rows ~ to feet apart, and by judicious
| cultivation kept growing until Septem-
| ber, when the dirt is gradually drawn to
! the plants and the process of blanching
| begun.
The bed system is best in small gar
! dens. Beds, to 81 feet wide, and long
as desired, deeply broken, well manured
| if necessary. with some non heating man
ure and well raked, is prepared in due
! time for the plants, which should be of
! good size to transplant by March Is, for
| the earliest crop, and other plants should
/ be held in reserve, or a late sowing Of
| seed made for transplanting in May or
! June Seed sown this month, and the
| plants not pushed by cultivation, will fur
nlsh the plants in proper time for the late
! crop. When ready TO set out, level the
| beds and roll slightly, and carefully set
the selected plants in the bed l0xl2 inches
| apart Press the soil firmly to the roots and
| apply enough water to insure the rapid
| formation OF new roots. The plants once
we'll established, only shallow hoeing
! sufficient to keep the grass and weeds in
| check, should be given until the summer
| heat sets in then between the plants
should be well mulched with pine straw,
handling :he celery so that only the
| leaves are exposed to the sun. During
| protracted dry weather water must be
supplied if the plants show the least dis
position to wilt Later in the fall addi-
tional mulching, for the purpose Of
blanching, must be given Blanching
can be secured with the use only of straw,
and old newspapers may be called into
use to lightly enfold the plants Bleach
ing with soil is to be avoided whenever
practicable.