Evening journal., 1896-11-27
CULTURE OF CELERY.
KALAMAZOO RECOGNIZED rs ONE OF
IT'S CHEF cENTERS.

,
the vicinity Of This Michigan Town-va.
rying Claims as TO the Profits of Celery
Growing.
Kalamazoo celery is so we'll known in I
every part Of this country that the name |
is used for all the better kinds of eel.
cry, and, like Blue Point oystors and
Little Neck CLANS, the guarantee con-
tanned in tho namo sells the article to
the exclusion Of other brands. The ex-
collence Of this celery is said TO be duo
to three things-good seed, dark, heavy
soil and care in growing and bleaching
it. Careful packing might be added.
Bat 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 re-
gion.
The celery meadows arc just outside
of the town Of Kalamazoo, north and
south Of the city, and surrounded by
hills, divided crosswise by q high ridge,
on which tho houses are built. The
meadows arc about three miles long
and mile wide. Those bottom lands
arc 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 We're needed. Not
more than q dozen years ago very little
celery was raised on these meadows
and none fer shipment TO other mar
kets. joseph Dunkly, the florist, was
one of tho pioneers in the industry, rec
ognizing tho peculiar value of the
muck soil for celery. He owned one of
the earliest celery farms, and it is re-
ported that he amassed q 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 Tho seasons of 1923 were COM
paratively 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 near
ly all Hollanders, and they live in
dwellings on their small holdings
which generally consist of from five to
ten acres They arc "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 10 doubt but the
head Of it saves money.
Tho ofAr~ af l[n1nrttDra, f.sr ono rr faa
prettiest in the country, and it 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 q conservative esti.
mate places the average quantity at GO
tons per day from July 1 TO Jan. /.
This would mean about 5000, 600 doz
ems, and at 10 cents per dozen this would
amount to S3G0,0O0 AS this is a very
low estimate, one is almost safe in say.
ing that the industry nets the town at
least $500, 900 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 size
Of a peach crate "a inches long, 1o
inches wide and TO inches deep.
Fertilizers arc now used freely upon
, the already rich bottom lands and ev-
cry time a grower takes a load of celery
into the town no brings back a load OF
fertilizer. 1t is claimed that four crop.
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 December, bu
these can hardly be called four crops
The first planting is made early, and a.
this celery must bo hleached with
boards it is an inferior grade. The ole
( saying is that celery is not ft to ea
until after tho first frost, and in q sens,
this is true. but modern conditions o.
our markets dema-d that celery shall b,
ready for use all the year round Th'
southern growers send it north early il
summer, and since people viii buy thi
vegetable out Of season the Kalamazoo,
growers begin to send their product f,
tho cities much earlier than five year
ago.
The question Of profit in celery grow
ing is disputed ono, and, like straw
berry farming, there are stories ourren
Of farmers making $500 per acre, whil
others claim that If they make $50 pc
acre they are doing well. At Grcentown
o., where the largest celery farm undc
the control Of one man is located, th
profita are said Go average between 500
and GlOO per acre There are nearly iOI
acres planted with colory on that farm
and il these figures are correct the own
er has every reason to believe that farm
ing does pay. Like the Kalamazoo Gel
cry lands, the soil at Groentown. O., j
exceedingly rich and well adapted &
the culture of the celery plant. Bu
even so, cheap labor must be employee
to mako tho faru pay anything lik
$500 or $500 per acre. Here in kalama
zoo tho growers believe that $500 an
$500 per aero is good profit, and
man with ten acres of soil need no
suffer greatly with such an income. ST
years ago the same land could hav
made profits Of $500 per acre, but the