The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-03-14
CELERY CULTURE.
Soil. Fertilizer, seed termination,
Young Plants. In the Field. Etc.

Young Plants. In the Field. Etc.
The selection of soil in the culture OF
celery for profit is of great importance.
The best soil is deep black muck with
an open. porous subsoil. The soil should
be at least 10 or is inches deep. and a
heavy clay subsoil. unless below the
depth mentioned. should be avoided, as
it will interfere with satisfactory bank
ing Of the crop. The swales or sioughs
found ON almost every farm when
drained and broken up into a state of
fine tilth make excellent celery land
and might be made the most proftahle
part of the farm The lack of such soils
as above mentioned need not deter any
one from growing the crop for home
use. for, though somewhat at the mer-
cy of the weather. celery grown in up
lands is more solid. keeps longer and is
less liable to suffer from frost than the
more succulent growth on black soils,
and good results may be expected from
any rich garden soil. In any case most
thorough pulverizing is necessary, and
the whole field should be prepared as
for garden seed bed
In most celery growing districts sta
BILE manure is preferred for fertilizer if
it is obtainable. From 80 to so two
horse loads of well rotted manure are
applied per acre and at once turned I'M
der to depth Of five or six inches. In
case the manure is not well rotted or
the supply is limited, some growers
make trench six or eight inches deep
and after putting in about three inches
of manure fill with soil before setting
the plants. Concentrated fertilizer may
be used if an occasional crop of clover
is plowed under to supply humus Nj
trate of soda is specially valuable.
Celery seed at best is uncertain in its
germinative power, and unless the con-
ditions are favorable the percentage of
termination is usually low. In general
we may count upon from 5. 900 to TO-.
900 plants from an ounce of seed.
For early celery the seed is sown in
mild hotbed or fats in the greenhouse
about March Is. For the home gar
den, if no hotbed is available, seed may
be sown in rich, sandy soil in shallow
box and placed in the kitchen window
In any case cover the seed very lightly
not more than one-sixteenth of an
inch-and keep the soil moderately
moist. but not wet. Many persons prac-
tice covering the surface with paper or
boards till the seeds begin to sprout
1t is also well to soak the seeds in warm
water for few hours before sowing
There is little doubt that, as a rule,
better results will be obtained in germi-
mating most vegetable seeds if the soil
is kept only moderately wet Seeds
must have air as well as moisture in
order to terminate
As the young plants begin to develop
transplant them into rows three inches
apart, leaving about a half inch space
between the plants. In case some of the
plants become too large before the
ground is suitable for setting them in
the field they may be sheared back
without harm. The process of harden
ing off should. of course, be observed.
By this we mean that the plants should
gradually be made accustomed to lower
temperature before removal to the field.
For the main crop the seed is sown
out of doors from the middle of April
to the LIST OF June In this case shell
tered location is chosen, fine seedbed
is prepared and the seed sown broadcast
and lightly raked in or sown thinly IN
drills and simply rolled. 1t is then well
to provide screen of lath or brush to
protect the young plants and prevent
destruction of the seed. If the plants
are thinned somewhat in wedding and
are sheared back as they begin to grow
too large. transplanting may sometimes
be dispensed with, but the plants are
better if handled once as described
above.
The plants for the main crop will be
ready to transfer to the field early in
July. They are usually placed six inch
es apart in rows five feet distant. The
old practice of setting the plants in
trenches is little followed at the present
time If the rows are sufficiently far
apart, the after culture is best done
with horse, but in no case should deep
cultivation be permitted. as the roots
extend through all the space between
the rows and should not be disturbed
In short, until time Of handling, the
culture need not be essentially different
from that given to potatoes
For early use the plants started in
March may be transferred to the open
ground about the LIST Of June, says
Professor w. NJ. Munson, from whose
comprehensive and useful article on
celery, in the last report of the Maine