Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-03-29
FOR GROWING CELERY
Crop Requires Intensive and
Painstaking Culture.
In Production of Plants 1t Is Necessary
to Have Well Prepared Seed Bed
Irrigation is Also Essen
tia Point.

By DIR. LEON d. BACHELOR. Utah
Agricultural College,
1t will hardly be possible within the
space OF this article 10 give one the
detailed directions for growing celery
This crop requires a most intensive
and painstaking culture, a very rich
soil, the best surface tillage, and care
full attention to the care of the young
plants before setting in the field
Celery is always transplanted
crop. The seeds are small and ger
inmate slowly and the seedlings are
very delicate An ounce of seed should
produce about 1000 good plants. TITS
allows for several times that amount
of loss due to poor termination and
weak seedlings. One pound of eel
cry seed should give enough strong
plants to set four or five acres.
In the production Of these plants. it
! is necessary TO have a well prepared
bed with a perfect surface filth and II
should retain moisture to the top.
( Preferably it should be protected from
hot and drying winds. Some persons
prefer TO have the seed bed partially
shaded with lath or cheese cloth
shades. If the shading is too dense.
the plants are likely to be soft and
tender when taken to the field, and are
killed by sunscald. II is advisable to
have a shade which can be easily re-
moved from the bed except on the very
bright, drying days. Sometimes the
bed is covered with boards or straw in
order 10 maintain the moisture until
termination has taken place. This
may be advisable If the covering is
left too long the plants may make
very weak and spindling growth and
are consequently worthless. If this
covering is used, it is generally advis-
able TO remove 1t gradually as the
plants terminate.
1t is essential that the seed bed be
so located that it can be watered every
evening if necessary. Care must be
exercised that the watering is not so
heavy that it packs or puddles the
soil.
In order to secure stalky plants, they
should be transplanted once or twice
in the seed bed, or they may be thin
ned until they finally stand two or
three inches apart. The labor of trans
planting is so great that many grow
ers prefer to secure stalky plants by
thinning and then shearing off the re-
mainder of the plants when they have
become too tall. The plants may be
cut back one-third or one-half their
growth by shears or sickle.
Celery is grown as a short season
crop. occupying land only part of the
season. Therefore, ii may follow such
bages, radishes or bunch beets. 1t is
also frequently handled as a compan-
ion crop. growing two or three rows
of onions between the rows of celery. !
In this case. transplanted onions are I
used, which will mature in time to use
the space for blanching the celery.
A thorough. shallow surface tillage
should be maintained throughout the |
growing season. accompanied by sufh-
rient irrigation TO keep up a continual
thrifty growth II the plants are al
lowed to be checked any time in their
growth, even from thu seed bed stage
10 the time they are half grown. diff
guilty will likely be encountered in the
plants going 10 seed. Very early cell
cry may be set in the field any time
Is soon as the soil can be worked.
However, there is very little demand
or such an early crop. and the cost
II production is considerable The
main crop for fall and winter consump-
ion is planted in the field from the
middle of June TO the middle of July. {
Celery must be crisp and tender and
yell blanched 10 be fit for use. Blanch-
ng is accomplished by excluding the
ght. There are two common meth S
DIS of blanching celery in vogue at the
resent day: by the uss of boards and i
anking UP the earth. Blanching by L
leans of boards is employed only for
lie early and summer celery; because Il
rejection from the frost must be Il
applied 10 the celery which remains
the field after the first of October.
nd the boards usually do not afford =
OF wide and one inch thick and :,
,out u to IA inches long. These :,
yards are set on edge close against
e crown of the plant, one on either
de of the row. and the tops are ~
oped together so they are only two a
three inches apart, or until they
ovid against the plants. The boards 81
e held in this position by cleats Ut
lied across the top or by wire hooks.
ter the boards are thus placed. the 81
Il can be worked up around the base IN
exclude all light by the use of a ga
rse cultiyator This boarding may
gin when the celery is tall enough ga
show a few of its leaves above on
; boards The plants shoot up for or
hi. making slender. soft stalks. Fo-
&c fills the space between the boards If
excludes the light from above and It
M ten to twenty days in warm grow inf