Celery Culture. Page: 20
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20
sary to destroy the insects found upon surrounding crops and weeds as
on the celery.
General suggestions.-For the present it is only necessary that the
farmer or gardener should occasionally go over his celery and gather
any insects that may be found working upon the plants, but with the
development of the industry it is only a matter of a short time when
this crop will be attacked by insects of a large number of species.
Where any considerable damage is noted as the result of the work of
an insect specimens should be sent to the Department of Agriculture
or to the local experiment station, for the determination of the species
and to learn how to combat it.
METHODS OF BLANCHING CELERY.
In its original wild state the stems of celery are tough, full of woody
strands, of a rank flavor, and green in color, being similar to the outside
stems or trimmings of our present varieties. The object of
blanching is to secure leaf-stalks free from woody strands, crisp and
tender, and without the rank flavor found in those that are green. Of
the cultivated plant we have two classes of varieties, the large-growing,
or giant, and the dwarf. These are again divided into those which
must be blanched by excluding all the light, and those which are in a
measure self-blanching. Of the former the Giant Pascal is a type, and
of the latter Golden Self-Blanching is a good illustration.
Blanching is accomplished by the same general method as is
employed for destroying the coloring matter in any plant tissue,
that is, by excluding the light and allowing the growth to proceed in
the dark. The particular method to be adopted must be determined
largely by 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. In fact, it is best to blanch as little as possible before storing
when the product is to be kept until late, as the keeping qualities
are better while it is unblanched. When planting for early use it is
necessary to choose one of the self-blanching kinds, such as may be
conveniently blanched, by the use of boards or other similar means.
Use of boards in blanching.-For early blanching on a small scale, such
as would be employed on the farm or in the garden of the amateur
horticulturist, there are several methods. One of the most common is
by means of boards (fig. 4) placed on edge along each side of the row of
celery. These boards should be 1 inch thick by 12 to 14 inches wide
and 12 to 16 feet long. The cheaper grades of pine will do, but new
boards are liable to impart an unpleasant flavor to the celery. The
kind used by growers in Michigan, Ohio, and New York,' at the rate
now prevailing costs $21-to $23 per thousand feet. In placing the
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United States. Department of Agriculture. Celery Culture., book, 1902; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc6408/m1/20/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.