PASSING NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9213, 16 November 1888, Page 6

PASSING NOTES.

rheumatism and celery. Rheumatic pains, together with lumbar™ and sciatica— phases of rheu matism—are not uncommon amongst ra/ tiers ; in fact, they are far too prevalent Statistics prove that during: one year £ the old country 2640 persons died of rhe i matism. It is said that two-thirds of th cases called heart disease may be put down to this complaint or its agonising a »v gout. It has been stated on good au thority that celery is a sure specific for rheumatic affections; that is, if the nCfis used in a proper way. I quote the fol lowing from the Leeds Mercury •-_« v" discoveries— what claim to be di coveries— the healing virtues of nlantl are continually being made. One of th latest is that celery is a cure for rheum? tism ; indeed, it is asserted that the diseaßP is impossible if the vegetable be cooked *** freely eaten. The fact that it is a lw a v« put on the table raw prevents its the™ peutic powers from being known Th celery should be cut into bits, boiled in water until soft, and the water drunk h the patient. Put new milk, with a little flour and nutmeg, into a saucepan with th* boiled celery, serve it warm with pieces of toast, eat it, with potatoes, and the painful ailment will soon yield. Such is the de claration of a physician who has again an again tried the experiment, and with uni form success. He adds that cold or damn never produces, but simply developes'th disease, of which acid blood is the primary and sustaining cause, and that, while thp blood is alkaline, there can be neither rheumatism nor gout. Smallpox, so much dreaded, is not half so destructive as rlien matism, which, it is maintained by manv physicians, can be prevented by obeviiw Nature s Laws in diet. But, if you 'have incurred it, boiled celery is pronounced un hesitatingly to be a specific. The pr ot)w way to eat celery is to have it cooked as i vegetable after the manner above de scribed. The writer makes constant use of it in this way. Try it once, and you would sooner do without any vegetables, with the single exception of the potato, rather than celery. Cooked celery is a delicious dish for the table, and the most conducive to health of any vegetable that can be mentioned." Statements like these, if they are facts, should give an impulse to the cultivation and consumption of this favourite plant; and, as this is the time of year when celery culture should be attended to settlers should not neglect to grow a patch' As a pinch of seed will raise hundreds of plants, the cost for seed would be trifling. The crop requires the very best cultivation, abundance of rich manure, and a good deal of care and attention to raise it to perfection. Still, if it is so efficacious in curing rheumatism, and has such a beneficial influence on the general health the esculent is worth looking after.

CELERY CULTURE. Two kinds of celery are usually cultivated, red and white, though there are many varieties of both. Of the two, the red is the hardier, but the white is more tender and better flavoured. The following are good sorts Laing's Mammoth Red, Manchester Prize Red, Major Clarke's Solid Red, Seymour's Giant White, Cole's Crystal White, Sandringham Dwarf White. Seed should be sown in boxes, or a warm corner of the garden. The plants come up like parsley, and, when they have formed about four leaves, it is usual to prick them out into a warm, rich spot, three or four inches apart, for the purpose of increasing and strengthening the root fibres, and to prevent the plants running to seed. When large enough, they will have to be transplanted into trenches. The " Kitchen Garden" says :—" Cut your trenches five feet apart, one foot broad and one foot deep. In the bottom lay about four inches of thoroughly rotted dung, and dig it in well, breaking the earth as tine as possible. The earth dug out must be laid between the trenches for the purpose of earthing up, but not so close to the edge as to be washed down into the trenches by heavy rains. At the bottom of the trench the plants should be firmly fixed in the soil, after being deprived of any straggling outer leaves or shoots, and the tops cut ol to prevent them being weakened by presenting too great a surface of leaves to evaporate moisture. Plant them six inches apart, and, if a little shading can be atforded until they have struck, it will be very beneficial. When the plants beg» to grow, hoe between them with a small hoe, and, as they increase in size, earth the stems, as the blanching depends on excluding the light. The earth must be drawn to the plants in dry weather, and care be taken not to choke the hearts. This operation must be renewed about every ten days, always leaving about six inches of the top of the plant above the earth. To draw earth up to the rows with a hoe is a careless and slovenly way, and the result will be that the earth will get into the heart and between the stems, causing canker, and rendering the plants unfit for use. Therefore, in earthing up, you should break the soil finely with the spade, and place it along the edge of each row. The leaves of each plant should then be collected together in the left hand, while the soil should be drawn carefully round them with the right." Such is the scientific method of growing celery.