The St. Johns herald., 1922-10-05

approximately 14,000 celery seeds in an ounce and 21,0O0 to 60,OOO plants are needed to set an acre, but not every seed can be relied upon to pro duce a good plant. Four ounces of extra good seed is usually enough to provide plants 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 planted to trays, to greenhouse benches or to cOld-frames, and later to the fields. For the later or stand ard crop the plants are usually grown in field beds.
 For the home garden POO or 300 plants can be started in cigar box or in wooden tray in the house, but as a rule it is more economical to buy the small number of plants needed. Spe- cial 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
 
 plants in the field, but ever the con- mercial fields are set by hand, though the department suggests that there is no reason why a suitable machine for doing the work should not be devel- oped.
 Celery is a moisture-lOving plant, and it is frequently necessary to en- plOy irrigation unless the soil is nat urally moist. Three systems are en- plOyed: The overhead sprinkler sys- tenn, the furrow or surface system, and the underground or subirrigation sys- tenn. It has been found that the first of these is generally the most adapt able. Since the plants are greatly in- jured by wilting, successful growers watch the soil moisture conditions closely and apply water before any willing 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- tilation. 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 thorough understanding of the approved meth ods of control.
 Results of Experience.
 The experience of many successful
  growers and the results of experiment tai tests on blanching, harvesting, stor- ing and shipping are given in consid- erable detail. Although it is an ex- pensive crop to grow and market, most growers have paid little attention to cost accounting, and conditions vary so much from year to year and in diff ferent regions that it IS difficult to give figures of real value. The prin- cipal items of expense are: Interest on investment, blowing and fitting the land, drainage and irrigation, fertiliz- ing, growing the plants, setting and cultivating, spraying, cost of boards or paper used in blanching, labor, selling costs and washing. It Is safe to as- sume, says the department, that the grower who is not making a profit of from $2O0 to $500 an acre or more is falling short of his goal, but the only way to know what profit Is being made is to keep a careful cost account to balance against the returns