The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1911-07-19
Celery Production.
BY l. G. Schermerhorn, Mon.
tana Agricultural College.

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]. P. NJ, Missoula, Mont, makes the
following inquiry: ITO what type of
soil is celery adapted? How is this
crop produced?"
Reply: Celery is a native of swamp
lands of the seashore, and therefore
requires careful growing in semi-arid
regions. Probably the best soil for
celery is found in reclaimed swamDs.
Celery soil should be naturally moist,
and this condition is most commonly
found upon river bottom lands. Such
lands are usually rich and contain
enough sand and vegetable matter SO
that they do not bake readily. Sue
cessful commercial celery growing can
be carried IN in the uplands, but gen.
orally more care is required in the fer
tilizing and cultivation Of the crop.
When plenty of stable manure is used
and irrigation is practiced on high
as that grown in reclaimed marshes.
If bottom land is not available, select
a well drained, loose, sandy loan.
Seed for the celery crop may be
sown in fats n time between the
first and the middle of March. The
a moderately a room in the house,
or, if early plants are grown on a
larger scale, they may be placed in a
hotbed or on a greenhouse bench. The
seeds will terminate in two or three
weeks, and care should be exercised
that the plants do not become checked
in any way. 1t is a good plan to trans
plant once or twice before setting the
plants in the field where they are to
mature. The first transplanting may
be done in four to six weeks after the
seed is sown. The advantage of
transplanting the celery seedlings is
In the fact that it breaks the tap root
and causes a more fibrous root growth
to be formed, thus lessening the shock
which the plant receives when trans
planted into the field. Seed for the
late crop may be sown in the same
amer as the early crop, about the
LIST of April, and transplanted into the
field when the plants are large enough
and the weather permits. The plants
OF both the early and late varieties
should be four or five inches high and
stocky and hard when planted.
The plants are commonly set in sin
gle or double rows, four, five or six
feet apart, with the plants five to
eight inches apart in the row. Plant
ing in rows allows horse cultivation,
or the use of a wheel hoe, and the
banking is more easily done, thus
lessening the cost of production. The
planting should be done when the
earth is moist and, if possible, a small
ball of earth should be left upon the
roots when the plants are set in the
ground. When the plants are set and
the soil has been pressed firmly
around them, they should be a little
below the level Of the land.
Celery plants are blanched in three
ways: First, by the use of boards;
second, banking up with earth; third,
blanching in pits or storage. Use
boards one foot wide and an inch
thick, and from twelve to fourteen
feet long. These are set up on edge
close to the plant and are held TO-
gether by means of wooden cleats or
wire hooks. The first boards are put
on when the plants are about twelve
to fourteen inches high. Celery may
be blanched in two or three weeks,
depending somewhat upon the tenn.
perature.
1t is generally considered that
blanching with earth gives a better
quality and a finer flavor to the cell
cry, but it requires more labor, and Is
therefore more expensive than blanch-
ing with boards. Late winter celery
is commonly blanched in storage.
Sometimes the plants are handled
once in the field to encourage a
straight, upright growth, and to start
the blanching process. Then they are
stored in a pit or shed, and the plants
set so close together that the light
will be excluded and the blanching in.