The Monticellonian., 1917-07-05
GARDEN WORK IN MIDSUMMER
BY E. VAN BENTHUYsEN.

Celery plants may be set out early in
July in the North, and in the milder
climates planting is carried on up to
the first of August. 1t is not as diff
cult to raise celery as people believe,
although the crop requires more atten-
tion than the average garden plants.
Celery plants can be bought. but one
always takes a chance in buying them.
Of course the best way is to raise
your own plants from seeds. The
planting of the seed should be done
very early in the spring, and after the
plants have attained Il good growth
the real cultivation begins.
Ground that has borne a crop Of
peas makes a good celery soil, provid-
ed the crop was thoroughly fertiliZed
and cultivated The burrows should be
three feet apart for the f-blanching
celery and about five feet for those
kinds that are to be blanehed by bank
ing with earth. If boards are to be
used, the rows need not be more than
four feet apart The burrows should
be made at least foot deep and about
three inches of well-rotted manure
placed in the bottom. Scrapings from
The barnyard with ii little soil mixed in
make good fertilizer for celery. The
fertilizer should be worked in we'll and
smoothed and the plants set in per-
fectly straight line about six inches
apart in the row.
The plants should be about six inches
nigh when put into the ground and
should not be placed too deeply-just
enough to cover the roots-and the
ground must be thoroughly firmed
around them. Before setting out the
plants, however, the dirt which has
been thrown out on the side of the
trench should be raked down, leveled
off and made firm with the back of the
spade. so that it will not wash into
the trenches. About 500 plants will
provide enough celery for a family of
six persons, and this number would re-
quire two trenches about 125 feet long.
When the plants mature they may be
planted by drawing the soil about the
plants up to the top leaves or boards
from one foot to eighteen inches high
may be placed on each side of the rows
and held in place by the stakes. The
best-havored celery, we think. is pro-
duced by blanehing with earth. The
earth should be drawn around the
plants gradually.
The ground that has borne early
crops in the garden should be cleared
off and loosened with a spading fork
and prepared for another crop. Car
rots make an ideal second crop. They
should be sown by the first week in
July in any sort of decent soil; in fact
they do not need rich soil. Sow the
seed in rows about - inches apart,
and thin. leaving the plants standing
about two inches apart in the row. A
later sowing of about two weeks may
he added if desired Rutabagas may be
sown up to the first of August. Any
good soil that has borne first crop is
suitable for turnips. Some persons
SOW the seed broadcast, but better
plan is to SOW them in rows about two
feet apart and thin to about six inches
apart in the row,
Cabbage should be in the ground the
very first week in July. The plants
may be set quickly by use of dibble
but "A sod-eutter is better, as this ena-
bIes one to stand upright. Stick the
sod-cutter in the ground, push the
handle slightly from you, insert the
plant, withdraw the tool press down