Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-11-19
CULTURE OF CELERY.
KALAMAZOO RECOGNIZED AS ONE or
ITS CHIEF cENTERs.

cry, and, like Blue Point oysters and
Little Neck CLAIMS, the guarantee con-
tanned in the name sells the article TO
the exclusion of other brands. The ex-
cellence of this celery is said TO be due
TO three tnings-good seed, dark, heavy
soil and care in growing and bleaching
it, Careful packing might be added.
But as any gardener can select good
seed and give the plants good culture
Kalamazoo must excel in the soil or
better natural conditions as g celery re-
gion.
The celery meadows are just outside
of the town OF Kalamazoo, north and
south of the city, and surrounded by
hills, divided crosswise by high ridge,
on which the houses are built. The
meadows are about three miles long
and a mile wide. These bottom lands
are not commo farming lands, but are
composed of a peculiar form of black
muck, the result of vegetable decompo.
sition, and formerly they were SO rich
that no fertilizers We're needed. Not
more than a dozen years age very little
celery was raised ON these meadows
and none Tor shipment TO other mar
kets. Joseph Dunkly, the florist, was
n of the pioneers in the industry, rec.
ogniziBg the peculiar value of the
muck soil for celery. He owned one of
the earliest celery farms, and it is re-
ported that he amassed a fortune from
the business before it was injured by
competition.
In recent years the output has been
so enormous that prices have dropped
from 20 cents to 10 cents per dozen,
and many growers have been complain
ing. The seasons of 1928 were COM
paratively poor ones, and % number of
the growers left their farms TO engage
in the same business III the suburbs Of
New York, but they soon returned to
their home town. The growers are near
ly all Hollanders, and they live j
dwellings on their small holding
which generally consist of from five O.
ten acres. They are a frugal, industrious
race, and they adopt the most advanced
system of intensive farming. Five acres
here easily support an ordinary Holland
family, and there is no doubt but the
head4of it saves money.
TIE city of Kalamazoo is one of the
pretttest IN the country, and il owes
not a little of this to the industry of
the celery growers. The amount of cell
cry shipped from the city varies from
year to year, but a conservative esti-
mata p1ocoS tho ovorapa ou.ptity at en-
ons per day from July / to Jan. /.
This would mean about 8, 600, 900 doz-
ems, and Mt 10 cents per dozen this would
amount to $3.50, 600. AS this is a very
low estims-e, one is almost safe in say
ing that the industry nets the town at
least $500, 600 a year.
The punches of celery are packed in
wooden boxes and shipped to commits
sion men. The boxes are made in the
town, giving employment to a number
of mechanics, They are about the sizs
of q peach crate, "a inches long, 16
inches wide and G to s inches deep.
Fertilizers are now used freely upon
cry time G grower takes a load of celery
into the town he brings back a load of
fertilizer. 1t is claimed that four crops
of celery ere raised in one season on the
land, bat this is not literally true. The
farmers make four paintings, which
mature from July to December, but
these can hardly be called four crops.
The first planting is made early, and as
this celery must be hleached with
boards it is an inferior grade. The old
saying is that celery is not fit to eat
until after the first frost, and in a SENSE
this is true. but modern conditions Of
our markets demand that celery shall be
ready for use all the year round. The
southern growers send it north early in
summer, and since people will buy this
vegetable ont of season the Kalamazoo
growers begin to send their product to
the cities much earlier than five years
ago.
The question Of profit in celery grow
ing is a disputed one. and, like straw
berry farming. there are stories current
of farmers making $500 per acre, while
others claim that IL they make $50 per
acre they are doing well. At Greentown.
o., where the largest celery farm under
the control of one man is located, the
profits are said to average between 5000
and $500 per acre. There are nearly 100
acres planted with celery cn that farm,
and if these figures are correct the own
or has every reason to believe that farm
ing does pay. Like the Kalamazoo cell
cry lands, the soil at Greentown. o., is
exceedingly rich and we'll adapted to
the culture of the celery plant. But
even so. cheap labor must be employed
to make the farm pay anything like
$500 Or $500 per acra. Here in Kalama-
zoo the growers beli7ve that 500 and
5000 per acre is a good profit. and a
man with ten acres of soil need not
suffer greatly with such an income. Six
years ago the same land could have
made profits Of $500 per acre. but then
the growers were receiving just twice
as much for thor celery ~ they are to-
day.-Kalamazoo Cor. New York Post.
A neu moon falling between 0 and 8
N. In the summer aso 0 rS.A