The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-08-16
CELERY CULTURE.
TD. w. Hull. waymart, Pa. I

Last years experience proved
very forcibly that celery needs con-
siderable moisture as we'll as being
well fertilized. Nearly all of our
ceery pants are started in small
greenhouses, sowing the seed from
| the last of February to the last of
March. Our soil is red-shale loan,
sand, fine siftings from coal ashes,
muck and quite well-rotted manure.
celery plants are started in small
is sown in benches. sometimes in
| rows three inches apart and some
times broadcast. In sowing by this
method we use baking powder can
with small holes in the cover. A
small hand seeder is used for sowing
in rows, but with the plow and COW
erer off, because we want to sift fine
dirt very lightly to cover the seed,
only about one-sixteenth of an inch.
Before sowing we make the soil very
fine and level. Bone meal and wood
ashes are used to fertilize. We use
coo pounds of the former and about
800 of the latter for 1900 square
feet of glass. Calico curtains are
used to shade these benches until the
plants are up.
We pIow In the fall. In the spring
the land is then we'll disked; eight
tons of IA per cent. dissolved South
Carolina rock is applied to the three
acres we have under cultivation and
well worked in. Then we SOW muri-
ate of potash at the rate of about l.
300 pounds per acre, after which we
plank the ground for setting, weigh
ing the planker enough to give us a
sufficiently firm bed. We set by
hand, using two fingers of one hand
as dibber, being very careful not to
get the plants set too deep, or soil
over the heart. This would keep
them from growing. Rows are three
feet apart where we expect to blanch
with boards, and 2 u when it is to go
into the celery house. Plants are
set four or five inches apart in the
rows. After the plants are set we
formerly put on about 1900 pounds
of dry blood running right along the
rows close to the plants, but this
year we stopped using it and have
substituted nitrate of soda, using an
extra amount of it, We dropped
dried blood partly because the price
had advanced, then again we do not
care TO use so unclean a fertilizer on
crop that is so largely eaten with
Oul DtIHS COOheu. TOT Ine
just set and during the first few
weeks we give this to them in the
dissolved form, using sprayer which
throws fine stream along the rows,
but not allowing it to get upon the
leaves We apply oftener than dry
blood-every five days or a week, in
stead of ten days.
We are spraying with Bordeaux
c n Il 1srr1,
heart rot We probably will get a
one-horse traction sprayer for this
work next season. The seed, also
the beds in the greenhouse should be
treated using formalin, perhaps.
We keep the soil stirred around
the plants all the time, using a horse
eultivator when the soil will allow
1t. Other times we have to mud
shoe the horse. After the celery has
been planted about two months it
should be ready to blanch, some
times before. The boards are held in
position by means of wire hooks and
are allowed to remain on from ten to
twenty days, according to the wealth
er, etc.
Trim we'll so the punches will be
well blanched. In our largest Yields.
two plants are large enough for a
bunch, while sometimes three plants
are necessary. Last year we had
about 200 plants that went alone as
bunch. These very large plants
teach one what can be done, so that
is of main value.
We do not irrigate, but feel the
need of it and will probably install
the Skinner system. Muck soil is
the finest for growing vegetables.