The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-11-26
MICHIGAN CELERY.
How 1t Is Grown by HoIIanders Near the
Town of Kalamazoo,

every part of this country that the
name is used for all the better kinds of
celery, and, like Blue Point OYSTERS
and Little Neck CLANS the guarantee
contained in the name sells the article
to the exclusion of other brands. The
excellence 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 a
celery region.
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 common 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 were needed. Not
more than dozen years ago very little
celery was raised on these meadows,
and none for shipment to other mar
kets. Joseph Dunkly, the florist was
enc Of the. pioneers in the industry,
recognizing the peculiar value Of the
muck soil for celery. He owned one
of the earliest celery farms, and it is
reported 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 to 10 cents per dozen, and
many growers have been complaining.
The seasons of 1929 were compare
lively poor ones, and 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
nearly all Hollandcrs, and they live in
dwellings on their small holdings,
which generally consist of from five to
ten acres. They are a frugal, indus
trious race, and they adopt the most
advanced system of intensive farming.
Five acres here easily support an or
binary Holland family, and there is no
doubt but the head of 1t 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 celery
shipped from the city varies from year
to year, but a conservative estimate
places the average quantity at 60 tons
per day from July to January l. This
would mean about 100000 dozen, and
at ten cents per dozen, this would
amount to $4,000 As this is a very low
estimate, one is almost SAP in saying
that the industry nets the town at
least 100000 year.
The punches of celery are packed in
wooden boxes and shipped to com
mission men. The boxes are made in
the town, giving employment to num-
her of mechanics. They are about the
size of a peach crate, "a inches long, 10
inches wide, and to inches deep.
Fertilizers are now used freely upon
the already rich bottom lands, and
every time a grower takes a load of
celery into the town he brings back
load of fertilizer. 1t is claimed that
four crops of celery are raised in one
season on the land. but this is not lit
orally 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
DC bleached with boards it is an in
ferior 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 sum-
mer, and since people will buy this veg
etableS out 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 if they make $50 per
acre they are doing well. At Green
town, O.. where the largest celery farm
under the control of one man is To-
Gated, the profits are said to average
between 5000 and $500 per acre. There
are nearly 100 acres planted with
celery on that farm, and if the
figures are correct the owner has every
reason to believe that farming does
pay. Like the Kalamazoo celery lands,
the soil of Greentown, O.. is exceeding,
ly rich and well 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
acre. Here in Kalamazoo, the grow
ers believe that 500 and $500 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
their celery as they are to-day.-N. Y.
Post.
Chicken Pie.
Boil until tender one or more chick
apS ocoor6iDO to thp SiZp of tho mic ..a-