Middletown transcript., 1908-05-16
FARM NEWS AND VIEWS

1t requires about 20, 900 to 35, 600 celery
plants to the acre. The best soil for this
crop is rich, mellow, sandy loan. That
grown on the muck or peat bogs is not as
good favored and does not keep as well as
that from sandy or clay soils; but
the clay soils will grow better crops if
given liberal application of .barnyard
manure, as celery is plant which
requires much nitrogen.
The use of manures or fertilizers rich
in nitrogen, or rotating the fed with
leguminous plants, as clover, peas, cow
peas, beans or soy beans, is good prep
aration on light soils. Reclaimed
muck lands have more need of potash
and phosphate until the nitrogen has be-
come exhausted. The best known fertili-
zer for celery is thoroughly rotted barn
yard manure, but fresh manure must be
avoided Besides heavy manuring, con-
stant cultivation is necessary for raising
the greatest number of saleable heads.
The owner of one of the celery gardens
in Kalamazoo, Michigan, location noted
for its prize celery, when asked how he
raised such fine crops, said: 81 found
that the celery plants need something else
besides stable manure. They should
have some phosphoric acid, and especially
,oko,l, NJoa& orou,orc do not knou fhoE
a considerable amount OF nitrogen is lost
when stable manure lies in heaps exposed
to the air for any length OF time. Now
this loss can be prevented by spreading
kainit over the manure. The cost is
slight, while the saving of nitrogen is
great. l have also found that potash
stimulates good growth of the plants,
especially in making fine stalks or
heads. This is important with celery
growers"
Celery requires an bundance Of water,
but it also demands a good drainage. For
a crop to be harvested in August the set
ting out of plants must be done this
month. Dig the trench or bed deep, put
in some welI-rotted manure-hen ma
nure, by the way, is excellent, and the
addition of wood ashes, chimney SCOT or
bone meal will greatly aid in the work.
The rows may be from four to six feet
apart, according to the variety, and the
plants set six to nine inches apart in the
row. Where the late varieties are grown,
onions are often grown between the rows,
removing them before the time of bank
ing the celery.
Firm the earth we'll around the plants,
and protect with a mulch, which can be
made of straw, leaves, hay or grass clip
pings. This will conserve the moisture
in the soil while the plants get a start.
Water after the mulch is on.
For celery blight and rust, about the
two only enemies this crop has, the sim
pie solution of copper sulphate is recon.
mended. 1t is used as ine spray, Gel
cry can stand reasonably strong solution
say pound to so gallons of water.
In New Jersey, among some truckers,
j the Golden Self-Blanching variety is
grown, as it grows upright and needs not
be touched with the. hands in banking.
The soil is first loosened with plow, and
the dirt thrown as high as possible. A
few days later it is finished with shovel.
Three rows are banked at time. and "a
week later three more. 1t must be sold
as soon as bleached, or it is apt to rust
and decay. About the middle of October
it is sold, disposing of q row week. A
month later all the unsold celery is taken
to the cellar, where the bleaehed is pack
ed in wide bed as close as possible.
| II the plants are growing vigorously al
in September it will take only three
weeks for blanching; but later in tht
season, when the weather becomes colder
fully four weeks will be required.
Boards are used by some for summer
blanching,::as they are less heating thar
soil. Ordinary lumber, free from knot
holes, is employed.
The boards rest on their edges, ont
board on each side of the row, the tops
being drawn together until within twt
and half inches of each other, and tht
lower edge Of the board held in plact
either by stakes or by soil.
| The Kalamazoo growers depend or
muck for field blanching, though they
also use boards. Muck is merely a dark
soil, containing or consisting mainly o
vegetable matter.
A cheap and quite satisfactory method
especially on farms or market gardens, ii
to trench the celery in the open field
The situation of the trench must be {
dry one, where there will be no standing
water. The trench must be nearly Of
not quite as deep as the height OF the Gel
cry, with perpendicular sides, and foo
or less 10 width. The stalks are set up
right in the trench, with all decayed O
worthless leaves removed as closely a
they will stand, without soil between
them. To keep them in that condition
is merely matter Of care. If the.
are buried deeply and the weather prove
warm they will rot. But if the covering
be decreased in cold weather, the celer,
can be kept in perfect condition.
II Meadows can often be revived ant
, made profitable by the application 0
, commercial fertilizer. This can be mad
up of 150 pounds Of nitrate OF soda, 15
pounds of acid phosphate and 20 pound
of muriate of potash. These mater
ials should be well mixed and sow
: broadcast about this time, care bein
: taken to distribute it evenly over th
8 field.
One pound Of formalin to 80 gallons o