The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-02-22
.PR0F|T|N CELERYCROW|NG
SHOULD be STARTED IN SEED
BED AND TRANsPLANTED,
BY Dr.. J. c. Written, Professor Of
Horticulture, University
Of Missouri.

land will produce good celery is heav
lily MANFRED. If land Is thin or steril,
to begin with, a season or two of prep
aration will be required to get it int,
shape for celery growing. This pre-
vious preparation consists of deey
blowing, and even subsoiling wher,
necessary. together with abundan
manuring. If fresh manure is used
It should be plowed in to allow it tt
become thoroughly incorporated with
the soil. If old we'll rotted manure ii
available, it may be applied annually
Celery should be started in a seed
bed and twice transported. The seed
should be sown in February for q
very early crop or in March for q
winter crop.
The best early varieties are the
White Plume and Self Blanching
Good winter varieties are Golden
Heart and Giant Pascal The seeds
are slow to terminate. They should
be started in prepared soil in a hot,
bed or forcing house. They are tiny
seeds, and should not be sown deep
1t is perhaps best to SOW them on top
OF, the prepared soil and cover them
with a quarter of an inch OF sand.
When the young plants are we'll up
and putting out the third leaf, they
should be transplanted in a prepared
bed or cold frame, four inches apart
each way. At this transplanting they
may be set deep enough SO that the
seed leaves will come just above the
surface of the ground. Here they
should be watered as necessary and
all weeds kept down until they are
ready to 60 into the field.
In order to keep them short and
stocky, it is best to clip the leaves
back every few weeks.
For an early crop, celery should be
transplanted to the field in late June
or July. For winter use it may be
put into the field in August:
The most economical arrangement
in planting a field is to plant three
or five rows in strip, the rows being
seven inches apart, and the plants
seven inches apart in the rows. Theft
a vacant space of at least eight feet
should be reserved and another three
to five rows OF the plants set. The
open eight feet of ground between
the belts of celery rows is for the
purpose of getting sufficient soil for
blanching it later on. Transplanting
will be more successful il done in
cloudy weather, and especially just
before a rain. When the leaves of the
plants are six inches long, they will
be large enough for the earthing up
and blanching to begin. The leaves
OF the plant should be gathered up
right into a straight bundle. Soil
should be gathered around and in be-
tween the plants until the leaves are
covered within few inches of their
tips. Only the upper ends Of the
leaves should be left exposed to the
sun above the ridged soil. Care
should be taken not to get the soil
into the heart of the celery, as it may
rot it. AS the leaves increase in
length a few inches, additional soil
should be again banked around them.
This repeated earthing up should be
performed until growth ceases upon
The approach of cold weather When.
ever earth is banked up around the
celery, care should be taken to leave
It in such form that it will shed
water. II the embankment Is left
ow in the middle, rains may get down
INTO the hearts OF the plants and
.ause them to rot.
In order that the celery may stand
10 late as possible for winter, the tops
II the leaves should be covered with
traw in cool times to prevent injury
rom frost. There are several ways
0 keep the celery from freezing for
winter use. One is to leave plants in
he soil embankment where they
rev, mulching the tops with suffi-
lent soil and straw to protect them
rom frost Another way is to pack :,
he celery plants into boxes and keep
hem in a cool cellar. Two or three
nches of soil should be placed in the
otton' of the boxes. The plants may
hen to dug up with their root sys-
ems intact, and their roots set in the
oil in the bottoms of the boxes, so
he plants will stand upright and
lose together, filling the boxes.
II large quantities are to be stored.
,e plants may be set in three inches
. soil directly on the cellar bottom.
mother successful way is to set the
elery in a small celery house pro-
Ided for the purpose. A good celery
ouse may be made as follows: Make
roof-like structure five feet wide on
le ground with A shaped double
.fters coming together four feet
,ove the ground at the center. This
AZ be boarded up on the outside
rming a roof or protection. Each
,per board should have its lower
Ice overlap the upper edge of the
ard below 1t. This forms a tight
of over the celery which will pro-
ct it from the rains. The soil may
en- be prepared beneath this celery
,use and the plants set In close to-
ther as described above for setting
hoxea cr on the cellar bottom. The