The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-21

The culture of celery in this state is at
last growing into an industry, says the
Florida Agriculturist A few years ago
it was thought impossible to produce a
fine grade of celery in our soils and cli-
mate, but the contrary has been proved
beyond all doubt. Various writers on this
subject advance various methods of grow
ing celery, but it might be remarked that
thus far only a few have been successful
in growing it. The first consideration on
entering the celery business is the soil.
High, light soil is unit for celery growing
as a mud puddle would be for a chicken
yard. On most every farm, of any size,
there are places too low or springy for
ordinary farm products. Most of these by
little work can be turned into a fine cell
cry patch. Shallow bitches can be made
sufficient to carry off the surplus water
and keep it from eight to twelve inches
below the level of the soil. Such ground
will usually be murky and therefore well
adapted to the growth of celery. Fine
celery can be grown on a reasonably dark
heavy soil where the ground is quite wet.
Where there is opportunity for irrigation
most any good heavy soil will do. The
preparation of the soil is very important
as the ground cannot be made too mel
low. Plow the land deep if the soil is
Deep the deeper the better. If, however,
the soil is shallow so that the sandy SUBJ
soil is turned up by deep blowing care
must be taken not to turn too much of
the poor soil to the surface for celery
does not care to send its roots deep in
quest of food. Shallow soil, however, can
be very much improved by blowing a lit
tie deeper each, year, thus gradually work.
ing the subsoil to the surface and enrich
ing it by the manures and so forth, used
by the crop
On our farm, which is a selected piece
or fiat pine land, after getting the ground
we'll plowed and puverized we mark out
the rows four feet apart These rows
are opened by turning out two burrows
with a common one-horse turn plow. For
a small patch where the rows are short
the bitches might be spaded out about p
foot and a half wide and from four to
ten inches deep depending entirely on the
soil Into these bitches we put stable
manure and muck, and as to quantity I
will say the more the better. Upon this
we use a liberal dressing of cotton seed
meal which, with the muck and manure,
makes a good rich base for the food sup
ply of the crop. About a third Of the
chemical fertilizer to be used on the crop
is now added to the trenches and the cul-
tiVator is run over the rows until the
whole Is well mixed with more or less OF
the soil Time spent in pulverizing the
soil and mixing the fertilizer Is by no
means lost, even if INDUCED in quite heav-
lily. When the ground is thus prepared
we consider it ready for the plants, which
up to this time have been growing vigor-
ously in a well-fertilized seed bed We
plant our seed in August and September.
so as to have plants to set into the field
in November and December. When ear6h
is to be used for bleaching we set the
plants about six inches apart in the Rows
prepared as l have Just described. Boards
are sometimes used for bleaching and
when this is done the rows may be made
three feet apart instead Of four Thor
ough cultivation is necessary as the plants
grow AS soon as the plants get well started
we give them a dressing Of fertilizer ana
again after a short time we follow With
another fertilizing. This keeps the plants
well fed all the time, and yet at no time
gives them enough to injure them.