by the presence of the green coloring matter. The method of blanching to be employed must be determined largely by circumstances and the time when the crop is to be used. If for early use or marketing, the blanching must be completed where the plants are grown; but if the celery be for winter use the blanching may take place after the crop has been removed from the field and placed in storage. When planting for early use it is desirable. to choose one of the self-blanching kinds, such as may be easily blanched.

Blanching by Means of Boards. For completing the blanching of the self-blanching varieties the method in most general use consists of setting 12inch boards on edge along both sides of the rows. In localities where the cost of lumber is too great for practical use, the blanching can be accomplished by banking with earth. The boards employed for blanching purposes should be 1 inch thick, about 12 inches wide, and of any desired length that can be easily handled. The cheaper grades of lumber will answer the purpose, but new lumber is liable to impart an unpleasant flavor to the celery. In placing the boards in position, slip one edge well under the outside leaves of the plants, then bring this edge. upward to a vertical position along the row, having another board at the same time placed on the other side so that when the boards are in position there will be as little space between them as the thickness of the plants will permit. These boards may, when used on a small scale only, be fastened in position by means of stakes driven in the ground, by nailing

short pieces of lath across the top every 6 or 8 feet, or by notched sticks placed over the tops of the boards. A better method of holding the boards together is by the use of double hooks or spanners nearly 8 inches in length and made of heavy galvanized wire. These spanners are slipped over the top edges of the boards at intervals of a few feet, and the plants are rigid enough to keep the boards in an upright position. After the boards are all in place it is a good plan to run the double celery hiller

FIG. 39-PLANET JR. DOUBLE CELERY HILLER

between the rows and throw a little soil to the lower edges of the boards in order to close any openings. For illustration of the celery hiller see Fig. 39.

Time Required for Blanching.-Ten to twenty days will be required to complete the blanching of the early varieties, but the boards must be kept in position until the crop is removed from the ground, after which they may be used again two or three times during a season. If the celery is allowed to remain in the boards too long after it has reached a marketable stage it loses in weight and flavor and is

liable to become pithy or be attacked by diseases. This is especially true during the earlier part of the season while the weather is warm. At the close of the season the boards should be promptly hauled to some well-drained location and piled flat, in large piles that are raised from the ground, with strips inserted at every fourth or fifth course for ventilation. The top courses should be laid roof fashion to shed off all rain, and if cared for in this manner they will last from 10 to 15 years. In Florida, what is known as "pecky" cypress, or cypress which has the appearance of having been worm-eaten, is used for blanching purposes. This class of lumber is practically unfit for other purposes, but is as good for blanching celery as sound lumber, and as it comes from the heart of old trees it is very durable when exposed to the weather. The prices of "pecky" cypress are very low as compared with those of other lumber such as can be used for blanching celery.

Banking with Earth.-Banking with earth is the only practical means of blanching celery on a large scale in localities where lumber is too expensive, and as a rule this method will give the best results in home garden culture. (See frontispiece.) In the North, banking with earth is especially desirable for the handling of that portion of the crop which cannot be marketed before the first severe frosts. In case of a freeze the boards offer but slight protection, while the celery that has the earth well drawn up to its tops will not be injured by a temperature 3° or 4° below freezing, if only for a short

period. Celery that is banked with earth will invariably possess a better flavor than that blanched in any other manner. Where the plants are set in single rows the soil can often be partially thrown up by means of a plow, or a celery hiller. (Fig. 40.)

There are several makes of celery hiller, but they all work upon the principle of a diagonally set sur

HILLER IN OPERATION

face to throw up the soil. Before the plow or banking machine is used a small amount of soil must be placed around the base of the plants to hold them in an upright and compact position. This process is generally termed "handling," and is greatly facilitated by having the soil in the middles loosened with a harrow tooth cultivator in order that loose earth will be readily available.

The plants may also be held together for banking by tying them with paper twine. Instead of tying