Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1911-03-29
CELERY GROWING.
Directions Given by Successful Guilt
Nator of Neaetahle In Pennsylvania.


vator of Vegetable In Pennsylvania.
Last years experience proves very
forcefully that celery needs considera-
bic moisture rs well as TO be well fer
tilted. says a PENNSYLVANIA grower In
a letter to the American Agriculturist.
Nearly all of our celery plants are
started I'm small greenhouses. sowing
the seed from the last of February to
the latter part of March. Our soil Is
red stale loan. sand. fine siftings
from coal ashes. muck and quite well
rotted manure. The houses are cheap
affairs. heated with stoves. and used
for growing few vegetable plants
each spring. Seed of Golden Self
Branching celery is sown in benches,
sometimes in rows three inches apart
and sometimes broadcast. IL we have
good men to thin we like TO broadcast.
In sowing 10y this method we use a
baking powder can with small holes in
the cover. \ small hand seeder Is
used for sowing in rows. but with the
plow ard covCrcr of. because we want
To- sift fine dirt very lightly to cover
the seed. only about one-sixteenth OF
an inch.
lcloIc SoWlUC tlc SOIL IL Iu0Qe very
fine and level. because we do not want
water to run from higher parts, and
bonemeal and wood ashes are used to
fertilize this. We use COO pounds Of
the former and about 300 OF the latter
for 1.SO0 square feet Of glass. Calico
curtains are used to shade these
benches until the plants are up.
We generally try to pillow our muck
in the fail. In spring the land is well
disked. then eight tons of II per cent
dissolved South Carolina rock is ap-
piled TO the three acres and well work
ed in. Then we SOW muriate Of potash
at the rate Of about 1900 pounds an
acre. after which we plank the ground
for setting, Weighing the planker
enough to give us a sufficiently firm
bed. We set by hand. using two fin
gers of one hand as dibber, being very
careful not TO get plants set too deep
or so soil Is over the heart This
would keep them from growing.
Rows are three feet apart where we
expect to blanch with boards and two
and a half when It is to go into the
celery house. Plants are set four or
FIVE inches apart in the rows. II the
soil IS too dry when we wish 10 set we
have water poured along the rows in
little stream, being careful to follow
the mark. made with light wheelbar-
row frame, along the side Of line
After the plants are set we put on
about 1900 pounds OF 10 per cent dried
blood 10 the acre. running it right
along the rows close TO the plants. AS
soon as the plants are four inches high
in the greenhouses we clip the tops
and are sure to clip again before we
set. taking about half OF the tops Off.
Sometimes the plants are clipped three
times. And we thin them there to
about 100 to the square foot Of bed.
/ They are often thicker.
As soon as the plants in the field
get rooted n little we commence Civ
ing them nitrate of soda, putting IT
as close TO the rows as possible or in
reach of the roots and putting on only
I n very little while the plants are small,
because we want II to feed them With
out shocking or giving them a setback.
/ This nitrate Of soda is given TO them
every ten days. adding to the amount
each time as the plants grow. so we
use about 1900 pounds of this TO the
acre. We use about two tons each
OF muriate Of potash. dried blood and
nitrate of soda on the three acres.
That is why 1t is about 1900 OF each
an acre.
We try to keep the soil stirred
around the plants all the time, giving
level culture. using a horse cultivator
when the soil is dry enough so we do
not need to mud shoe the horse.
After the celery has been set about
two months it should be ready to
blanch. sometimes before.