The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
WORK. ON A CELERY FARM.
5000 ACRE GARDEN PLT0H NEAR
THE DELAWARE WATER ear.

| unE, Banktng Up, and Punching.
| On the east bank OF the Delaware River. nine
miles from Delaware Water Gap. and about
fifty miles from this city. may be seen one OF
| the most interesting OF the many curious
places that exist solely By producing goods
| for the New York market. At this spot Mr.. j.
b Ia Rue Of this city bought several thousand
acres Of black swamp land eight or ten years
ago. drained IL. and set about making what
| has since become the largest celery farm In
the Middle States. Last year he planted 1000
| acres in celery and this year ne will plant
more. for every season he adds from 80 to 100
acres to his mammoth celery patch.
The product OF this novel farm IL celery and
nothing else. Other growers make celery q
second crop. letting It follow their peas. beans.
beets. or early cabbsges: but Mr.. La Rue raises
celery alone. and the greater part Of his vast
crop 10 sold in New York Last year he raised
100000 lunches OF celery. which required
the labor OF seventy Ave men throughout the
season. Occasionally. when the market Is
oyerstocked. part OF a days shipment remains
unsod. and he utilities this surplus by making
several preparations in which celery is tho
principal ingredient combined with stimulants
and tonics.
One OF the oldest features about this celery
farm Is the dwelling house In which the work.
men live These men are nearly all Holland
ers. because the soil is too swampy for Ameri-
cans to thrive upon: but the Hollanders ind
It so much like tho soil OF their own country
that there 10 rarely any sickness among them.
and they have built for themselves a house OF
many gables and overhanging stories that
looks as ~ II might have been brought over
from their native land. The name OF Garden
City has been given to the settlement The
soil Is very much like that found on the Diss-
ton purchase in Florida 10 the bottoms OF lakes
that have been drained. though this Is some
what heavier 1t is black as ink. and exceed
ingly rich. Unlike most soils. 1t becomes
richer every year without fertillzing. and must
continue to do so for many years. because
every foot OF it contains thousands Of minute
roots OF plants that formerly grew In the
water. and as those gradually decay they mako
the land richer and richer.
Mr.. La Rue gives an exceedingly interesting
account OF the methods In use for raising
celery on 40 large q scale. All the old methods
are com pletely done away with. and economy
OF labor is looked for at every turn. 1t is not
long since We tried to initiate the English
methods OF raising celery for market. but the
system has been SO much imr roved that our
market gardeners now laugh at the slow Eng
lish ways. The chief popularity OF the Eng
lish method Is to dig trenches ten inches deep.
In which the plants are set at four to six inches
trenches are gradually filled In with earth
aud the celery. with light and air thus ex-
cluded. becomes whitened and 1T for use. II
this method were followed by American mar
ket gardeners We should have to nay fully
double prices for all the celery we use.
At this time OF year. when New Workers are
looking suspiciously at the somewhat rusty
and corky lunches OF celery that have
been preserved through the winter. tho
first preparations are making for next
falls crop. Celery seed Is one OF the
earliest things the market gardeners
SOW. though the crop Is one OF tho --latest.
Every housewife is familiar with the appear
ance OF the tiny seeds. because she uses them
to flavor soups. or feeds them to her canary.
AS soon as the ground is dry enough in sprng
to be plouGhed with safety tho work begins.
This year 1t began much earlier than usual
because of tine three weeks OF warm, dry
new celery in the markets fully a month earlier
than usual toward the end OF sumner.
delicate matter. for the seeds are so small that
the earth must be pulyerized as much as pos
will wash the seeds away. 4 seed led no
larger than city lot Is more than sufficient to
acre celery farm The land is i frst t ploue2e4
then narrowed, and afterward fined down"
70 tho last degree with hand rakes A
the lines In which the seed is to be sown.
This marker Is on the principle of a big wooden
set twelve inches apart When the whole bed
has been thus. marked. every ninth mark is |
wSe the Sed the seea s is 5sss
thickly in the lines. sometimes by hand and
Win d s1d the ses
lengthwise of the rows. TO cover the seed up. |
Then heavy wooden roller is run over the |
by the middle OF June this seed bed is one |
beautiful green mass OF celery plants. in |
guished provided proper attention has been |
given II in the matters of frequent hoeing and |
weeds. The plants look SO fresh and strong
that an inexperienced grover would think |
them all ready to set out; but the market gar |
lars for his experience. knows better lie sets |
a man at work with sharp scythe on tho he'd. |
mown of. The vitality OF the plant that would |
he wasted In making more leaves Is thus |
and stronger and more likely TO 5tand the |
shock OF transplantation.
of. work on the real celery beds begins. This |
may be anywhere from the middle OF June till
the end Of July or even later all depending
or late The variety. too, has much to do with
the date OF gathering the crop. But the grow
mand Tor celery Is not as great toward the
close of summer as 1t is late In the fall when
other vegetables are scarce; and early celery
ON the Garden city farm. where each bed is
on feet VIDE by I'D 1eet long, with deep bitches
between them TO carry the drainage Into the
Delaware River, work on the main crop begins
about the middle OF JULY; on almost AM, other
land stable manure would have to be thrown
until II lay four or Ave inches deep, and then
ploughed in; but the Garden City land is rich
enough without this, and the great beds each
as large as fifteen city lots. are pioughed and
There 10 no digging Of trenches.
no making of ridges or hilocks. The land il
simply harrow ed till 1t is fne and sun Doth. and
hen tho marker is run over 1t. For this pur-
pose the markers teeth are set from three TO
five feet apart three feet between the rows for |
the dwarf kinds Of celery. and tiye feet for the
larger sorts.
Now begins the killing work for the laborers
II is a common saying on the truck farms that
a gardener must have nine Joints In his back
and two In his neck. and nothing brings all
these Joints into play more thoroughly than
setting GU" celery plants. All day long.
frequently until 1t is too dark to see the rows. |
the workman must walk and work with both
hands and feet on the ground For i've hours
NJ a stretch he hardly has a chance to straight
On his back. No one not Well trained to the
work could stand the strain for half an hour.
good example OF 1t may be had by try
RnId 10 wHiS Sas across ,hs f Room With both
iener always tries to select line day for this