The Lamar register., 1897-10-09
CELERY As 4 peoFlTAsEEir-5p
The Santa Fe OmcIaIs Trying to En-
courage Its Growth by Our
Topeka, kas OCT. ?, lSg

B0fm0rB.
Topeka, Kas Oct :, 1897.
MR. L. w. MARKHAM, Lamar, Colo,
DEAN SrR:-As we think that the pro
duction of celery in the vicinity OF La
mar, Rocky Ford and other neighboring
points will be remunerative and Is
branch OF farm gardening which it is de-
sirable to encourage, i hand you here
with copy of clipping frum the Denver
Field and Farm on the celery industry
OF Kalamazoo, Mich, to which i think IT
would pay to call the attention OF far
mers and gardeners in your region. Vice
President Morton is desirous of stimu-
lating this industry, and Industrial Com
missioner DAVIS is accordingly paying
much attention TO it, and is prepared To
do everything that is consistent in the
way of assisting producers in our terri
tory to get their product upon the mar
ket in good condition and upon a remun-
erative basis We hope to see this be-
come one of the well established and ex-
tensive branches OF agriculture in the
valley Considerable celery is already
raised at Rocky Ford, but l think great
deal more can be grown without preiu.
dice to the present producers; in fact, an
increase in the industry would be an aid
to them as it will make II practicable TO
handle IL upon a more systematic manner
than now. Very truly yours.
JNO. Z. FROST.
The CELERY INDUSTRY OF KALAMAZOO.
Kalamazoo celery is known the world
over but as matter OF fact it Is scarcely
as that grown near Denver under irriga-
tion. Still it may be instructive to know
how the plant is grown in Michigan. The
work OF growing the celery there Is now
done mostly by Holianders, who live in
frame dwellings, on their small holdings
-. o.,
but this can hardly be accepted as a lit
eral fact. since what they mean is that
they make four different paintings, which
mature from July to December. Early
in the season boards are used for blanch-
ing, but the quality is inferior, aud il is
a local saying that celery is not fit to eat
until after the first frost
The lunches are packed in wooden
boxes which are about the size OF peach
crate. twenty y-four inches long, sixteen
inches wide. and six or eight inches deep.
The bulk OF the crop is handled and
shipped by middlcnen, who contract for
!. or handle il on commission. 1t is ship
ped BY express or freight The celery
meadows are what might be called bot
tom lands. They arc surrounded by
hills, and divided by the ridge OF higher
ground upon which the city is built
They are perhaps three miles long and n
mile wide. Ibts SOIL Is heavy Dtack
muck, originally very fertile. but IL now
requires the liberal application OF ferti-
lizers and manures. The lntter is fur
nished chiefly by the stables OF the city.
When a load of celery Is hauled in town.
load Of manure is taken back IL is
exceedingly difficult to get at the guam
tity shipped during the year, and 1t va
ries largely from year to year.
A conservative estimate places the av-
eraee quantity shipped at SIXTY tons a
day from July LIST to January lst- As
suming that it averages six pounds TO
the dozen, the total shipment would be
about 100000 dozen. This is very con
servative estimate: in fact. We should say
that the industry nets the grower at least
half a million dollars each year. The ex-
ceIlence of Kalamazoo celery is attribu
ted TO three things: good seed, dark.
heavy, moist muck or soil, and extraor-
dinary care in growing and bleaching IT.
Careful packing adds also to its reputa-
ton The meadows or bottom lands are
not common farming lands, as most peo-
pie suppose. but are evidently peculiar
form OF black muck, the result OF vege-
table decomposition, much resembling
our old buffalo wallows on the prairies.
The area is comparatively limited and
must increase largely in value as the de-
mand for celery increases.