CHAPTER VII

Cultivation

Frequency of Cultivation.--Frequent, shallow cultivation should be practiced from the time the plants are set in field or garden until the blanching process is well under way. At first the cultivation may be quite near the plants, but after active growth begins the roots of celery are to be found close to the surface and the cultivation should not be so deep or near the plants. The rule should be to stir the surface once each week in dry weather, and as soon after showers or watering as the soil is dry enough to work, in order that the air may enter the soil freely.

In a short time after the celery is planted in the field it will be necessary to give at least one careful hand working to remove the weeds and loosen the soil around the plants. After the plants become large enough to shade the soil there will be no further difficulty with weeds near the row, and frequent cultivation will keep the middles clean. The effects of drouth may in most cases be met by frequent shallow cultivation, supplemented by the use of water if available.

Tools Adapted to Celery Cultivation. For the growing of the home supply of celery special tools will not be required and the work can be performed by means of implements ordinarily used for culti

vating the garden. Where any considerable quantity of celery is grown it will be economy to provide

a few special tools for its cultivation. The harrowtoothed cultivator, having 12 to 16 slender teeth, is one of the best tools for celery cultivation. A rake

like leveling attachment to the cultivator is useful, as it may be run quite close to the row without going deeply into the soil. The greater part of the hand work can be accomplished by means of some form of wheel hoe which may be run very near the small plants without injuring them. This implement is also desirable for cultivating a small area of celery in the home garden.

There are also a number of small hand tools that are desirable for working among the plants, espe

FIG. 25-HAND-WEEDING TOOLS FOR WORKING AROUND CELERY PLANTS

cially in the culture of celery on a small scale. (Fig. 25.) A very serviceable tool may be constructed by driving three or four wire nails through the end of a lath and using as a rake for loosening the soil between the plants; this tool is especially adapted for working the soil in the plant beds.

Toward the latter part of the growing season the roots of the celery will extend entirely across the rows and the cultivator should be replaced by some form of sweep that will merely drag over the surface. A tool for this purpose can be improvised by

removing the teeth from a one-horse cultivator and bolting two pieces of 2x4-inch scantling on the under side of the frame in the form of a letter V with the open part toward the front; the narrow portion should not quite join, but there should be a space of about 6 inches at the back through which the soil may pass freely. If the weather is extremely dry this sweep should be run between the rows at least twice a week to keep the surface loose and maintain a dust mulch.

CHAPTER VIII

Irrigation

IN its natural habitat the celery plant is found in low, moist places, where there is an abundance of moisture at the roots and freedom from flooding. Celery will not thrive in sour, stagnant soil but requires that the water with which it is supplied be pure and that there should be free movement of the moisture in the soil. An excess of moisture in any soil will exclude the air, and without air in the soil the plants will not thrive. Excessive watering is detrimental and the chances of producing a good crop are on the side of thorough cultivation in connection with the natural rainfall, rather than constant watering and neglect of cultivation. This fact is demonstrated by the results of a rainy season when proper cultivation is impossible and an inferior crop is the result. Too many of our celery growers attempt to force the growth of their plants. by frequent watering, and at the same time neglecting cultivation. When necessary to irrigate, give the land a thorough soaking and as soon afterward as possible stir the surface soil to form a mulch and continue to cultivate frequently until desirable to apply more water.

Sources of Water for Irrigation. The principal sources of water for irrigation purposes in the celery growing districts are lakes, rivers, small streams,