Celery.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 418, 9 November 1889, Page 6

Celery.

About the beginning of November is the best time to make the first sowing of celery seed. for the general crop. A small pinch should be sown in a need pan or box and placed in' a cool, shady place, and the soil kept pretty .moist. The seed does not take lony to germinate, and as it comes thiough the ground it'will need to be protected from the slugs. When the seedlings are ready to' be pricked out (find that will be when the little plants have mado two or three leaves besides the toed lea^es) a bed should be specially prepaicd for them. The bed should be mado as follows :—: — Spread about three inches of half decomposed manure on the ground ; on top of this place aboat two and a half inches of good, rich, light soil. The little plants can then bo dibbled out in this bed about threo to four inches apart. Immediately after planting give the bed a thorough soaking with water. The bed should also be shaded for a few days till the plants get well established, when the shading can be taken off. Plenty of water will need to be given tiil the first batch of plants are ready to be placed out in the peimanent trendies. Succe&sional sowings of small lots of seed should be made from time to time, .=o a& to keep up a succession of plants till about the end of April, when the last batch should be planted out in the trenches. To be able to obtain fine laige cri-p celery plants, a little trouble and labour must be undertaken. Trenches should be opened to a depth of eighteen inche3, and to a width cf about eighteen inches. The soil taken Irom the trench should be piled up on each side of the trench, as it will be required during the summer months for earthing up the plants as they grow. After the trench is opened up to its proper depth the subsoil in the bottom should be broken up with a fork. On top of the broken-up subeoil, about three or four inches of well-rotted manure should be placed, then about three inches of good rich soil. The trench should then, if possible, beleftunplantedforaboutaweek, so that the soil may become thoroughly sweetened before planting. A few hours before the seedlings are in, the whole bed should receive a thorough soakinor with water. The young plants can then be lifted t with a trowel, taking care to lift a3 latge a ball ot earth as possible with the Toots. Plant them carefully in the centre of the trench, about ten inches apart. The planting, if possible, .should be done in dull cloudy weather or in the evening. After a trench is planted it should be well watered if possible. All the wrought soil in the bottom of the trench should be made rnobt. After the watering a little dry soil from the sides of the trench should.be drawn down on the moist soil. This will act as a mulch and cause the moisture to be retained longer in the ground. To grow the celery' well afterwards will simply be a question of water and earthing up. If sufficient water is not given the plant 3 will soon starve, and when used they will be stringy, tough, and rank in flavour.