compact; entire habit of growth stocky and close. This is the principal commercial variety. Snow White.-A dwarf variety, similar in many respects to White Plume but much smaller; growth compact; readily blanches to a pure white color. Rose Ribbed Golden Self-blanching.-Similar to Golden Self-blanching except that it has a tinge of rose color on the ribbing of the stems. Late Keeping Varieties.-Fin de Siecle.-Plants very stocky; stems thick and maintain almost uniform size throughout their length; light green in color, blanching to a golden yellow; very crisp and tender. This is a desirable variety for winter keeping. Perfection Heartwell.-Slightly dwarf; bunches expanded at base; height about 20 inches; stems thick, ribs prominent; green but blanches to a pure white. A good keeping variety. Schumacher.-Slightly dwarf; about 20 inches high; bunches compact, stems thick, green, blanching to a golden yellow. A splendid keeper and highly recommended for winter use. Giant Pascal.-Immense size, frequently 30 to 36 inches in height; inclined to be somewhat coarse; foliage green, spreading; stems blanch to a pure white. A late variety, suitable only for winter use. Evans' Triumph.-Medium dwarf; 16 to 18 inches. high; bunches and stems of almost uniform size throughout; ribs prominent; foliage and stems a deep green, but blanch to almost a pure white; a good keeper. Winter Queen.-A large growing variety of the Giant Pascal type; height about 24 inches; expanded at base; ribs prominent; foliage deep green; has numerous offshoots or suckers around base of plant. A good keeper. Pink Plume.-Medium dwarf; has pink tinge on outer side of stems, but this is partially lost in blanching; has a rich flavor and good keeping qualities, but is not a strong grower. Varieties for Home Use.-In the selection of the varieties to be grown one must be guided by the quantity desired and whether the crop is to be used during the late summer and autumn or kept for winter by storing. The principal early varieties are White Plume and Golden Self-blanching. White Plume will produce edible stalks at an earlier date, but it is not so sturdy a grower or as well adapted to autumn and early winter use as the Golden Selfblanching. There are a number of good varieties for late winter use, among which may be mentioned, Fin de Siecle, Schumacher, Giant Pascal, Evans' Triumph, Winter Queen, and Pink Plume. These varieties do not blanch as readily as White Plume or Golden Self-blanching, but are better adapted to long keeping, and when properly blanched are superior in flavor. It is not practical to plant more than two varieties for home use, and one of these should be an early self-blanching and the other a long keeping sort. Five hundred plants will be sufficient for the use of the average family, and of these 200 should be early and 300 late. There are a number of varieties having a pink tinge of color to their stems, and these are attractive, have a fine flavor, when properly blanched, are good keepers, and are deserving of more general use in home gardens. Celeriac or turnip-rooted celery differs from the true celery in that it produces an enlarged fleshy root and small leaves. Celeriac is cultivated the same as celery except that it may be planted in rows I foot apart and does not require banking or blanching in any way. The fleshy roots of celeriac are used for cooking and in soups the same as the roots and stems of the common celery. Varieties for marketing do not differ greatly from those recommended for home use, except that for market the early or self-blanching sorts are used almost exclusively. For extra early celery White Plume is planted, but Golden Self-blanching is employed for fully 75 per cent. of the entire crop grown for market. Giant Pascal and Evans' Triumph are largely used for storage purposes, but the acreage devoted to this line of production is comparatively small. Those who contemplate growing celery for the autumn and early winter market should invariably select French grown seed of Golden Selfblanching at the start, and then experiment with other strains and varieties in a small way to determine if the original selection can be improved upon. CHAPTER XV Profits Derived from Celery Culture WHERE celery is grown for use on the home table, the cost of production is very small and cannot be separated from the general maintenance of the garden; the profits, however, can be calculated only by summing up the enjoyment and health derived from its use. Where the family is small, and there is a market or grocery near by, it may be more economical to purchase the supply of celery for home use, but is must be borne in mind that when celery is secured in this manner it is rarely so fresh and crisp as if directly from the home garden. In commercial celery culture the cost of production and the profits obtained will be governed by numerous local conditions, but as a rule the expenditures and results for an acre will be about as follows: Rental of land or interest on investment Ten days team work, including hauling manure Fifty cubic yards of barnyard manure Commercial fertilizers Seed and production of plants Setting out plants Cultivation and irrigation Loss on lumber used in blanching Cost of 350 crates and packing |