Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-11-23
CULTURE OF CELERY.
KALAMAZOO RECOGNIZED As ONE OF
IRIS CHIEF cENTEas.


fTs CHIEF cENTERs.
Whist Hollanders Have Accomplished IN
the Vicinity Of This Michigan Town-vs-
rying Claims as to the ProAts Of Celery
Growing.
Kalamazoo celery il 80 well known in
every part Of this country that the name
is used for all the better kinds of eel.
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 az.
cellence Of this celery is said to be due
to three things-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 q celery ne.
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 q mile wide. These bottom lands
are not common farming lands, but are
composed of q peculiar form of black
muck, the result of vegetable decompo-
sition, and formerly they were 90 rich
that no fertilizers We're needed. Not
more than o dozen years ago very little
celery was raised on these meadows
and none for shipment to other mar.
kets. Joseph Dunkly, the florist, was
one of the pioneers in the industry, rec
ognizing 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
che business before it was injured by
competition.
In recent years the output has been
80 enormods 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 q number of
the growers left their farms to engage
in the same business in the suburbs Of
New York. but they soon returned to
their home town. The growers are near.
~ all Hollanders. and they live in
dwellings on their small holdings,
which generally consist Of from five TO
ten acres. They are 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
head Of it saves money.
The city Of Kalamazoo is one Of the
prettiest in the country, and it owes
not . little of this to the industry of
the celery growers. The amount of Gel
cry shipped from the city varies from
year to year, but a conservative esti-
mate places the average quantity at go
tons per day from July to Jan. 1.
This would mean about 8, 900, 900 dox.
ems. and at 10 cents per dozen this would
amount to $S60,00O. As this is a very
low estimate, one is almost safe in say
ing that the industry nets the town ct
least $500. 900 q year.
The lunches Of celery are packed in
wooden boxes and shipped to commits
sion men. The boxes arc made in the
town. giving employment to a number
OF mechanics. They are about the sise
OF q peach crate, ~ inches long, 10
inches wide and 6 to inches deep.
Fertilizers are now used freely upon
the already rich bottom lands, and ev.
cry time grower takes q load Of celery
into the tewn he brings back q load of
fertilizer. It is claimed that four CROPS
OF celery are raised in one season on the
land, but this is not literally true. The
farmers make four paintings. which
mature from July to Decent Der, but
these can hardly be called four CROPS.
The first planting is made early, and as
this celery must be bleached 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 q sense
this is true. but modern conditions of
our markets demacd 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 out Of season the Kalamazoo
growers begin to send their product to
the cities much earlier than five years
ago.
Tho question Of profit in celery grow
ing is disputed one, and, like straw
berry farming. there are stories current
Of farmers making $500 per acre, while
others claim that if they make $50 per
acre they are doing well. At Greentowp,
o., where the largest celery farm under
the control of one man is located, tho
profits are said to average between $500
and $500 per acre. There are nearly 100
acres planted with celery on that farm,
and if these figures are correct the own
er has every reason to believe that farm.