of the celery crop have kept pace with the improvement in production. Formerly the entire crop was washed and bunched before shipment, but it has been learned that celery will bear transportation much better if a part of the roots and outer stems are allowed to remain upon it until after shipment. There are yet a number of vexing problems connected with the commercial production of celery, prominent among which are the control of diseases and the securing of competent labor. In this book an endeavor has been made to give plain directions both for the production of a home supply of celery and its culture on an extensive commercial basis. The information has been obtained from practical experience and from observation of the methods employed by the most successful growers. Many of the illustrations are from photographs taken upon a number of the most extensive celery plantations in the country. The author is indebted to the United States Department of Agriculture for the loan of several illustrations; to Prof. W. G. Johnson for several photographs; to B. F. Williamson for many of the excellent drawings; and, finally, to a number of seedsmen and tool manufacturers for courtesies extended. With the exception of those for which credit is given, all the illustrations are original. Washington, D. C., April, 1907. W. R. BEATTIE. CONTENTS Climatic requirements of the celery plant, 3; soils adapted Drainage, 7; treatment of new land, 8; breaking and pul- verizing land, 9; fitting southern land for celery, 11; prep- Natural fertility of soils, 16; chemical elements required in fertilizers, 17; sources of nitrogen, 17; sources of phos- phorus, 18; sources of potassium, 18; sources of calcium, 19; common salt as a fertilizer, 19; barnyard or stable manure, 20; manure from fowls, 22; fish refuse, fish scrap, fish guano, 22; Peruvian guanos, 23; night soil and sew- age as fertilizers, 23; the application of fertilizers, 23; cost of fertilizers for an acre, 25; time for applying fertilizers, 26; home mixing of fertilizers, 28; suggestive mixtures for use on peat or muck soils, 29; mixtures for use on clay and sandy soils, 29-31; table of fertilizer values, 32. Necessity of having good seed, 35; methods of sowing seed for early plants, 36; starting plants in a window box, 36; starting plants in a greenhouse or hotbed, 37; construction and care of hotbeds, 38; temporary hotbeds, 38; permanent hotbeds, 39; coverings for hotbeds, 40; ventilating and wa- tering the hotbed, 41; construction, care, and uses of cold- frames, 41; sterilization of soil for seed-bed, 42; starting plants in the open ground, 43; care of the outdoor seed- bed, 45; protection of plant beds, 45; transplanting, 47; substitutes for transplanting, 49; proper time to plant Lifting the plants, 52; packing celery plants for shipment, 53; setting in the open ground, 54; distances to plant, 56; table of planting distances, 58; overcoming unfavorable con- Sources of water for irrigation, 65; quantity of water re- quired, 66; irrigation on muck soils, 67; methods of irriga- ting, 67; wooden flumes and open ditches, 68; overhead sprinkler systems, 69; subirrigation as applied to celery growing, 72; temperature of water for celery irrigation, 76. Damping, 77; blight, 78; leaf spot, 80; celery rust, 81; blanch-rot or heart-rot, 81; root-knot, 82; prevention and control of celery diseases, 83; preparation of spray mix. tures, 83-85; pithiness of celery, 87; general suggestions, 89. INSECTS AND ANIMALS INJURIOUS TO CELERY Grasshoppers, 91; the celery leaf-tyer, 91; the celery cater- pillar, 92; the zebra caterpillar, 92; the tarnished plant bug, 92; the carrot rust fly, 93; the celery looper, 93; mice Blanching by means of boards, 96; time required for blanch- ing process, 98; banking with earth, 99; blanching with tile, Storing where grown, 104; storing in temporary pit or va- cant hotbed, 105; storage in cellars, 107; trenching for late autumn marketing, 107; storing for late marketing, 108; methods of handling celery for storing, 109, cold-storage, Methods of preparing celery for market, 112; sizes and styles for shipping crates, 114; washing and bunching be- fore shipment, 116; the celery packing house, 117; con- struction of washing machines, 119; bunching and packing, 120; sanitary considerations in marketing celery, 122; keep- Self-blanching varieties, 125; late keeping varieties, 126; varieties for home use, 128; celeriac or turnip-rooted celery, ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE Field of celery banked with earth for blanching 1. Heavy plow for breaking bog or marsh land PAGE 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 14 13. Cross-section of cold-frame with muslin shade 42 14. Cloth-protected celery plant bed for home garden 46 21. Dibbles for use in setting celery plants 24. The wheel hoe 25. Hand-weeding tools for working around celery plants 26. Deluge sprinkler system of irrigating 27. Skinner system of overhead watering 28. Arrangement of tiles for subirrigation FIGURE 29. Subirrigation adapted to back-yard garden. PAGE 74 75 79 80 33. Celery leaf affected with leaf-spot 34. Celery leaf affected with rust 81 82 35. The proper way to make Bordeaux 36. Home-made spraying machine 37. Celery leaf-tyer 38. Blanching celery by means of boards 39. Planet Jr. Double celery hiller 85 86 91 97 98 40. Blanching celery with earth 100 41. Blanching celery by means of drain tiles 42. Temporary storage-pit for celery 102 106 43. Celery storage house 108 44. Machine for loosening celery from the soil 110 merchant's room 113 46. Row of blanched celery ready for cutting 114 115 116 49. Crate of Florida celery shipped in the rough 50. Celery trimmed for market 117 118 51. Floor plan of celery packing-house 119 52. Bunch of celery containing one dozen plants 53. Device for bunching celery |