Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1897-05-16
A CELERY CENTER
Town I'm Michigan Where the Is
culent Is Largely Grown
what Some HollAndsTs Have Accom-
piished Near Kalamazoo In Build
Ing Up = New In
dustry.

Kalamazoo celery is so we'll known in
every part of this country that the
name is used for all the better kinds OF
celery, and, like "Blue Point oysters"
md Little Neck CLANS" the guarantee
contained in the name sells the article
TO the exclusion of other brands. The
excellence of this celery II said to bo
due TO three things-good seed, dark,
heavy soil, and care in growing and
bleaching il. Careful packing mightb be
added. But as my gardener can select
good seed and give the plants good
culture, Kalamazoo must excel in the
soil or better natural conditions rs n
celery region. 30
The celery meadows are just outside
Of the town OF Kalamazoo, north md
south of the city, and surrounded By
hills, divided crosswisc by q high ridge,
Oh which the houses are built. . The
meadows arc about three miles long
and II mile wide. These bottom lands
are not common farming lands, but arr
composed of a peculiar form of black
muck, the result of vegetable deeompo-
Sit;on. and formerly they wero 30 rich
that 10 fertilizers were needed. Not
more than Il dozen years ago very little
celery was raised on these meadows.
Md % for shipment 10 other mar
'ieis. .IoS'Ph Dunkly, the florist, was
me 81 the pioneers in the industry,
recognizing the peculiar value OF the
muck Spil for celery. lie owned one
Of III. earliest celery farms. and il il
reyN0-t.l shat Ia a~a1SaI HDr1nn,
from the business before il wns injured
by competition.
IN recent years the output has been
80 enormous that prices have dropped
from 90 to 10 cents Isr dozen. and
many have been complaining.
rhc seasons OF 1923 were compare
lively T.rpr ones. and a number Of the
growers left their farms TO engage in
The same business in the suburbs OF
New York. hut they soon returned to
their home town. The growers are
nearly all Iiollandcrs. and they live in
dwellings, on their small holdings.
which generally consist oifrom Ave To
ten acres. They nre n frugal. indus-
trious race. and they adopt the most
advanced system of intensive farming.
' ~ S'lNS l'A' 'hNslN support al VI
binary Holland family. and there is no
doubt but the head OF it saves noney
The city OF Kalamazoo is one Of the
nrrtticSt in the country, and il owes
not ii littl. OF this to the industry OF the
celery growers. The amount Of celery
shipped from the city varies from year
10 year. hut a conservative estimate
places the nveraCc quantity at 60 tons
per day from July l To January !. This
would mean about 1900. 600 dozen, and
NJ ten cents per dozen. this would
amount to S3GO.OlO. AS this 10 n very l0w
estimate. II. is almost safe in saying
that the industry nets the town At
least $500, 0o0 "a year.
The bunchcs OF celery arr packed In
wooden boxes and shipped 90 COM
mission men. The boxes are. made In
the town. giving employ ment TO n num-
Der Of mechanics. They nrc about the
size OF Il peach crate. % inches long, 10
inches Wild, nnd 6 TO s inches deep.
Fertilizers nre now used freely upon
the already rich bottom. lands. and
every time \ grower takes n load OF
celery into the town he brings back
I load o! fertilizer. II In claimed TINT
four crops OF celery are raised in one
season on the land. but this Is not liz.
rally true. The farmers make four
paintings, which mature from July to
December, hut these can hardly DC
called four crops. The first planting
is made early. and ax this CELERY must
bc bieached with boards IL IL an in
ferior grade. The old saying In that
celery is not ii; 10 eat until aftcE The
frs; frost, md in a sense this is true.
hut modern conditions OF our markets
demand that celery shall bc ready for
use all the year round. The southern
growers send il north early in sum
mcr. and since PEOPLE will buy this veg
ctablca out OF season. the Kalamazoo
growers begin TO send their product to
the cities much earlier than five years
lCo.
Mrs. WILLIAM MYERs died near Dan.
vile. NY. recently. She had long
wished To- have false teeth, and when
dying rc;iur.cd hat the teeth DC at
tended 3" after death. Accordingly,
the family sent for a dentist. and . .et
Of tRelh WA ny.paroI n1.-