The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-08
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plants on the surface of the ground,
killing them up some when they have
attained proper size, and then blanch-
ing them if desired for immediate use
by setting two boards about a foot
wide edgewise along the side of each
row, their vertical positions being best
maintained by placing clamps or hooks
on them at intervals to hold them in
place. By having a good system of ir-
rigation, so that the plant can be
watered at will, and with sufficient
fertilizers of the desired sort, there is
but little more difficulty to be expe-
rienced in raising celery than any
other crop mentionable. The fact is,
celery delights in having abundance of
moisture, and where the land is rich
and wet al the same time it would be
hard naming anything more adapt
able for it. in many cases, than cell
cry.
The White Plume is generally con-
ceded to be the best variety to raise
for early use. Next comes the Golden
Self-Blanching. Among the varieties
for winter use, Giant Pascal, Half
Dwarf and Golden Heart are perhaps
the best. The seeds ought to be Sown
in hotbeds; time, anywhere from April
1 to Is. If the product is desired for
early marketing. when the plants of
the early varieties are about month
old they should be transplanted into
hotbeds 6x1S feet, from six to eight
inches apart each way. In getting the
hotbeds ready considerable pains
should be exercised to have the soil
properly prepared. If one foot of fresh
horse manure is first placed in the hot
bed, and then fine, rich earth sprinkled
over this to the depth of ten or u
inches. by irrigating sufficiently celery
can sometimes be grown to a height of
three feet without being trenched or
hilled up at all. and as the heavy fol-
iage generally excludes the light, the
stalks will become perfectly blanched
and ready for market by the end of
Jul.y.
Commonly speaking, however, it is
better to prepare a plot of ground by
manuring it heavily with stable ma
nure and then giving it a thorough
narrowing, and transfer Sle plants to it
from the hotbed about May l, provided
the weather viii permit. Set them in
double rows Eve or six inches apart,
leaving q space between the double
rows of IS inches for cultivating pur-
poses. Keep this space and the beds
perfectly clean of all weeds until the
plants are nine or ten inches high.
Then hill the plants up some, and
later, when they have attained a good
growth, set boards on both sides of the
double rows, as previously mentioned,
to be kept in place either by means
OF stakes driven on both sides of them
or by clamps; very serviceable ones
can be made by saving two notcheS
about an inch wide and three inches
apart in short pieces of boards. These
will hold the wide boards rigidly in
place. In about two weeks the celery
will be ready for market, and the
boards can then be employed elsewhere,
thus keeping I'D q succession.
The time to begin irrieating the
plants is when they are about six
inches high.
Watering celery properly will cause
it to grow very rapidly. Only a few
trials are needed TO teach one how
much water is required and how often,
it not being safe to give any exact
rules, in that some soil Will absorb
water sooner than others. Besides. at
mospheric conditions will often have
much to do with the matter.
Celery for winter use is very easy
TO grow, ali that is necessary being Gull
tivation and water No effort at all
should be made TO blanch it on the
ground where it is grown, since
blanched celery will not keep through
the winter, blanching being the first
process toward decay. It should re-
any kind until about November l. Then
it should either be stored in the cellar
or trenches to blanch- during the win
ter Celery for winter use, however,
should not be irrigated later than the
middle of October, as it wiz make it
so tender it will be more liable to in
jury by freezing, and thus will not
keep so well.
According to the method I have de-
scribed, somewhere between $4,000 and
90 900 plants can be grown on an acre.
At the customary wholesale price of
21b cents, they would, therefore, foot up
a sum Of $4,000 at least. pretty good
showing, isn't it? Really, where there
is an available market, and land is
scarce and high. few things mention
able in the agricultural line offer better
inducements than the culture of celery;
and it is pretty safe to say that there
are greater possibilities in store for
those who will further develop and
improve uDon what has already been
chieved.-Frederick o. Sibley. in n.
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