Celery

CELERY. Wholesome and delicate in flavor and handsome in appearance, it is difficult to believe that the crisp white stalks of celery served on our tables have been developed from a tough and woody weed.

In its wild state no one would think of eating celery, for the sap is poisonous and bitter. Careful culture has, however, produced many edible varieties, some scarcely a foot high and others nearly three feet.

One form, called " celeriac," is extensively grown in Europe for its turnip-like root.

"Blanching" or whitening of celery is effected by shielding the plants from the sun. The common method in most small gardens is to "bank" the plants by heaping the soil about the stalks or to place boards on each side of the rows. A new process consists of growing the plants so thickly that they protect themselves from the light.

Celery is a biennial, and is raised from seed, sown either in a hot-bed or in the open garden according to the season of the year; the second year the plants are set out in rows in the garden or field. The crop requires an abundance of moisture and fertilizer.

Celery growing has become a great industry, the lead ing celery-producing states being New York, Michigan, California, and Florida. The stalks are either eaten raw as salad, or may be cooked. Celery seed is also used as an appetizing condiment. Celery (Apium graveolens) belongs, with parsley and carrots, to the natural order Umbelliferae.