Page:How and what to grow in a kitchen garden of one acre (IA howwhattogrowin00darl).pdf/84

 leaving about two inches of the tips stick out at the top. It is important to hold the stalks closely, that the dirt may not sift down among the stalks, which would either rot the heart or cause the inner stalks to become twisted and crooked. The second and succeeding bankings are done by a boy standing over the row, clasping the stems in his hand closely, while a man on each side banks up the loose dirt with a shovel; as they raise the bank the boy slides his hand further up the stalks, until, as before, all but two inches of the tips are covered. The boy moves along the row backward, facing the two men who are using the shovels; as they finish one plant he grasps and bunches another, always having a plant in each hand. This method is a great time saver, and also enables the work to be done more neatly than where the plant has to be held while the dirt is drawn from a distance with the hoe. This earthing up should be repeated every two or three weeks until it is time to store the celery for the winter. Immediately before banking, I run the light plow or the cultivator on each side of the row, which furnishes plenty of fine, loose dirt ready for use. The soil will pack better and remain in the banked form better if it is moist when handled, but must not be so wet as to be sticky, for it would then “rust” or spot the stalk. The plants should be set in rows five or six feet apart, so that there may be plenty of soil for the earthing up and room to pass between the rows when banked; the taller growing varieties will require full six feet between the rows.

About the third week in November the celery