The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-07-27

earth, the rows should be marked off
five feet wide and the plants set five
inches apart in the row. If the double
row system is used, each set Of double
plants set six inches apart each way.
1t is very important to have stocky
plants to transplant to the field, as it
is very difficult to get the small ones
to live. and they never grow off as
rapidly as plants of larger size.
Plants that have been given ample
distance in the seed bed will be from
six to eight inches tall and very
stocky at transplanting time.
The amateur grower frequently
makes the mistake Of setting the
plants too deep in the soil. The plants
should not be set deeper in the field
than they stood in the plant bed. If
the plants are set in the bottom of a
furrow, as Is sometimes practiced, the
bed will be covered by soil washing
from the sides of the trench. and
many Of them will die. When the
plants are set in a slight furrow made
by the marker and the soil drawn
about them, the bud of the plant
should be on a level with the surface
of the soil.
The plants should be taken from
the bed with a small block of soil at
tached to the roots If possible. To do
this a heavy knife with a blade about
six inches long is passed along each
side of the rows one and one-half
inches from the plants, cutting about
three or four inches deep. 1t is then
passed between the plants in the
rows, cutting the same depth. The
plants are then removed with the
block Of soil and roots attached,
pressed lightly in the hand to pre-
vent the soil from being shaken off in
handling. The plants are then COW
cred with wet bags or burlap, and
when thus protected will remain per-
fectly fresh for several hours. The
ideal way for setting the plants is to
place the plant in the hole Immediate
ly after the water has been poured
in; fill the hole with soil and press
lightly, leaving a mulch Of loose dry
soil around each plant
1t Is very important that the soil
mulch be maintained at all times dur
ing the growing season in order to
prevent the loss of moisture from the
soil by evaporation. Cultivate shall
low after every rain in order to pre-
vent the formation of crust on the
soil and to re-establish the soil mulch.
Late celery for winter use is
blanched by soil. The plants are set
in the field during July and early Au-
gust. and the blanching is begun
about the last of September. Celery
Is usually ready for use by the goth
Of November but will continue to
grow rapidly during December and
will need no protection until the last
of that month, when it may be COW
cred entirely with soil or straw, or 1t
may be stored in a suitable frame or
trenched.
The first process in blanching cell
cry with soil is called handling.
This consists in gathering all the
leaves in one hand and holding them
in an erect position. while the soil is
banked am slightly packed around
them to about one-half their length.
When this is done the soil is heaped
around the plants with either the
plough or celery hitler"
Instead of handling" the plants as
described below, they are sometimes
wrapped with paper string to hold
them erect until the soil can be bank
ed about them. The string is fasten-
ed to the first plant in the row, and
Is then tied once around each sue
ceeding plant and at last fasten-
ed securely at the end Of the row
AS the string is covered with soil it
soon decays and does not injure the
plants. The soil is then banked about
the plants with the "hiller" or plough
AS the plants grow the soil is heaped
higher and after a few weeks the
banks will be SO high that the hoe
and shovel will have to be used in
addition to the hitler.
The following varieties are especial
ly recommended. Fin de Ciecle. Giant
Pascal Winter Green and Golden
lf-Blanching.
For further information concerning
celery culture see Bulletin No. IA.
OF the South Carolina Experiment
Station.