The St. Mary banner., 1922-09-23

| A4'opO celery seeds In
an ounce and 21,0O0 to 10000 nlants
are needed to set an acre bur no,
every seed can be relied upon to nro.
duce a good plant. -Four ounces of
extra good seed is usually enough "a
proVlde pants for an acre, but most
growers use eight to twelve ounces, In
three to five weeks after the early
crop seed Is sown the plants are trans
pianted to trays, to greenhouse
benches or to cold-frames. and Inter
10 the helds For the later or stand
ara crop the plants are usually grown
in field beds.
FOR the home garden 200 or 300
plants can be started in cigar box or
III wooden tray In the house, but as
rule 1t Is more economical to buy the
small number of plants needed. Spe-
clal care Is needed during the first
two weeks after the seed is sown to
see that the soil does no. dry out and
after the plants come up that they are
not overwatered. There are many i'm
portant details to the setting of the
plants in the field, but ever the COM
merclal fields are set by hand, though
the department suggests that there Is
no reason why suitable machine for
doing the work should not be devel-
Oped
Celery Is a moisture-loving plant,
and 1t Is frequently necessary to en-
ploy irrigation unless the soil Is nat
urhlly moist. Three systems are en-
pioyed: The overhead sprinkler sys-
tenn, the furrow or surface s-stem, and
the underground or subrrigation sys-
TEN. 1t has been found that the first
OF these is generally the most adapt-
able. Since the plants are greatly in
Jured by willing, successful growers
watch the soil moisture conditions
closely and apply water before any
whiting of the leaves occurs. Some
successful growers In the northeastern
district do not use irrigation. They
depend upon having the soil in good
condition and well supplied with Or
ganic matter and upon thorough and
frequent cultivation.
Celery is subject to the attacks Of
diseases from seedbed to market.
Damping-off is the principal danger In
the seedbed, but this can usually be
controlled satisfactorily by care not to
overwater and by giving plenty of ven
Plants in the field suffer from
early and late blight bacterial blight,
Sclerotinia rot and black-heart. There
are rOtS that attack the product in
storage or in transit. Blights spread
rapidly during periods of moist and
Sultry weather, and even during bright |
weather, when the plants are growing
rapidly, spraying Is necessary to be on
the safe side. The storage blights or |
rots usually have their origin in field |
diseases. Control is based upon crop
rotation and spraying with bordeaux
mixture TO prevent them. A reading
Of the bulletin will give a thorough
understanding Of the approved meth
DDS Of control.
Results of Experience.
The experience of many successful
5IONeIS anu llle TeSullS OIL eXDGrll0en-
al tests on blanching, harvesting, stor-
ng and shipping are given in consd-
,rable detail. Although 1t Is an ex-
,ensive crop to grow and market, most
growers have paid little attention to
.ost accounting, and conditions vary
10 much from year to year and In diff
erent regions that it IS difficult to
i've figures of real value The prln-
ipal items Of expense are: Interest
n investment, plowing and fitting the
and, drainage and irrigation, fertiliz-
ng, growing the plants, setting and
spraying, cost of boards or
aper used In blanching, labor, selling
osts and washing. 1t Is safe to as
ume, says the department, that the
rover who Is not making a profit Of
rom 5000 to $500 an acre or more is
alling short Of his goal, but the only
ray to know what profit is being made
, to keep a careful cost account to
alance against the returns.