Show CELERY considered AT ONE TIME AS NOVELTY NOW IMPORTANT CROP ta A WA t f aak lm at ua S I 1 i A INV t 14 A Y I 1 i ell ad I 1 D 51 i fi V az a S 1 V y ta ft 1 hT f atik arz N ze F T cyri ay iy y ag j IN harvesting and packing celery in field crep prepared tir od by the united state stata department of agriculture prom a crop that hiis its a novelty and served on the tables of only a few people to nn an industry that has produced ns many as crates in a year I 1 a s been the development of celery p production within the memory of many people now living with the rapid increase in the rowing growing of 0 the crop methods of culture and marketing have materially changed new disca diseases sei aud and fists p ats havo appeared and a number of problems lemr lemis have arisen because of th sr new problems and difficulties the united states department of agriculture has fins just issued farmers bulletin 1069 celery growing by W K R ceattie beattie in which are discussed the fundamentals of successful production liiv luc luding the best methods of growing and handling the crop ta tre e crop can be grown on I 1 almost buy any type of soil if enough i plant food Is present besent and water Is so supplied during the dry periods but most of the successful celery growing enterprises ars are on low lying muck or hammock soil under present day conditions it Is not practicable to depend entirely on manure as a fertilizer and large quantities of commercial fertilizer are used growers in the northeastern part of the country using from 1400 to I 1 1800 pounds of high grade plant food to the pere florida i growers sometimes use as much as three tons to the acre but not all of the la Is de f 4 Z al n i C ai f k or A I 1 I 1 R A N ii I 1 V 11 U er tl Z packing celery voted to the commercial growing of celery there is a chapter on producing the crop in the home g garden arden and many of the practices that have been developed are applicable no matter on what scale it Is grown copies of the new biri bulletin letin may be obtained free by writing to the united states department of agriculture washington was once a luxury celery was once a fall and winter luxury associated with turkey and cranberry sauce but now it Is eaten during the entire year and the prodoc prodie rion of early celery has become a big business most of the commercial crop Is grown in the region of tile the great lakes and also in new jersey and massachusetts in plot florida iola and in california the muck soils of the northwestern ecklor ore are of the right texture usually high in nitrogen but lefi clent in potash and phosphorus in addition to muck soils good crops are grown on level sandy lotions such as are found in the vicinity of rochester chester Ko N Y in northeastern new jersey on f ong ing island and in many other localities Commer commercial elial fertilizers used as a rule ont about 4 to 7 per sent of nitro ren en 8 per cent of phosphoric acid and 3 5 1 or 7 per cent of potash the mixed fertilizer la 14 usually followed fall owed by one or two awo side dressings ot of nitrate ot soda r sulphate or of anin ammonia onla during the towing mowing period in tile field where manure is used it la Is usually applied in he fall and plowed under then re arned to the surface in the spring by ep lowing or is composted comported com posted and spread ver the land after plowing and disked roto nto the soil the same as commercial fertilizer most blost muck soils are easily iut cut in the right condition and require olly plowing and about two dis kings imd two dragg ings more dis kIngs and however are needed on newly reclaimed mucks seed largely imported moet of the celery seed Is imported iut there are a few producers of arade seed in the united states mid ome lome growers g grow row their own teed heed rbt old idea was that strictly frech seed Is necessary but recent e experiments aper have shown that four year old seed gives greater freedom from disease and in many respects Is preferable to fresh seed however no Ilo wever much depends upon the way the seed has been handled as great changes of temperature pera ture reduce its vitality there are approximately celery seeds in ila an ounce and to plants are needed to set an acre but not ev every ery seed can be relied upon to produce a good plant four ounces of extra good seed Is usually enough to provide plants for an acre but most growers use eight to twelve ounces la in three to five weeks after the early crop sped seed Is sown the plants are transplanted to trays to greenho greenhouse tse benches or to cold frames and later to the fields for the later or stand ard crop the plants are usually grown growa in field beds for the home garden or 00 plants can be started in a cigar box or in a wooden tray in the house but as a rule it Is more economical to buy the small number of plants needed special care Is needed during the first two weeks after the seed Is sown to see that the soil does not dry out ard and after the plants come up that they are not lot over watered there are many lii portana details to the setting of the plants in the field but even evea the commercial fields are set by hand though the department suggests that there is 19 no reason why a suitable machine for doing the work should not be devel aped celery Is a moisture loving plant and it Is frequently LLeces sary to em ear ploy lr irrigation rl gatlon unless the soil Is nat caily moist three systems are ern en aloyed the overhead sprinkler tm tem the furrow or surface system and the underground or tern tem it lias has been found that the first of these Is generally the most adapt able since the plants are greatly in aured by wilting successful growers grower watch the soil moisture mo lature condition closely and apply writer water before an of the leaves occurs som growers in the northeaster northeast erl ii district do not use irrigation teiei depend upon having the soil in good condition and well supplied with or gaule matter and upon thorough and frequent cultivation celery Is subject to the attacks of diseases from seedbed to market damping off ol is the principal danger in the seedbed but this can usually be controlled satisfactorily by care not to overwater and by giving plenty of ventilation ti plants in the field suffer from early and late might bacterial bit blight bt rot find black blackheart heart there are rots that attack tile the product lc in storage or in transit blights baights spread rapidly during periods of moist and sultry weather and even during brich weather when the plants ari are growing rap rapidly idly spraying Is necessary to be on oil the th safe side the storage blights baights or ro rg if usually have their heir origin in fiel fiell I diseases As eases control Is based upon crop cro rotation and spraying with bordea iw tux mixture to prevent them A reading of the bulletin will give a thorough b understanding of the approved methods of control results of experience the experience of many successful ifill growers and the results of exper experiment imen tal tests on blanching harvesting storing and shipping are given in consid erable detail although it is on an is fm pensive crop to grow and market most mos growers have paid little attention it t cost accounting and conditions var so much from year to year and in dif ferent regions that it is difficult tr t glie gle figures of real value the prin cipal items of expense are interest In teresi on investment plowing and fitting th elio land drainage and irrigation fert litz ing growing the plants setting ant anc cultivating spraying cost of boards or paper used in blanching labor sellin selling costs and washing it Is safe to at af smile says the elie department that th grower who Is not making a profit in eil from to an acre or more 1 if falling failing short of his goal but the way to know what profit Is being mado Is to keep a careful cost account to balance against the returns |