324 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



up with washed soil, weeds aud other debris. Good drainage in celery 

 culture means thorough drainage and quick drainage, draining not alone 

 theJand bordering the ditches but all the intervening land. 



SOILS. 



The celery of Michigan is grown entirely on the heavy reclaimed muck 

 lands that have been previously well drained. These soils are generally 

 very deep often extending from twenty to thirty feet before reaching the 

 subsoil which is generally of a hard stiff clay. Three or four feet of 

 good top soil, however, is generally considered suflficient upon which to 

 grow good celery pr(i\ idcd il is ^^(']l drained and is a good s1i'(»ng muck 



t.'P^^.'^^ijU. 



Fig. 2. — One of the oldest Kalamazoo celery farms. Has grown celery continuously for more than 

 thirty years. Still very productive. Such land rents from S65.00 to SIOO.OO per acre per year. 



soil. A shallow muck wiili a (luicksand sulisoil is imi iircfcncd aud 

 the spring muck lands, common in some sections, are also unfavorable, 

 lilack ash or elm muck lands are cdUsidercM] ilic sliougrst and lli(» best 

 for celery production. 



(Jelery may be grown on any good garden soil that has been previ- 

 ously Avell enriched with stable manure or organic matter but for com- 

 mercial growing, the muck lands are to be preferred in this state. They 

 are fertile soils, contain much decomposing vegetable matter, and with 

 water but a few feet from the surface of the soil, a conslaiu sui>i)ly of 

 moisture is assured. These requisites, namely, a fertile soil well filled 

 with organic matter and a constant sujiply of moisture from below are 

 of most imi>or1ance as the celery plant cannot be stunted at any time 

 during ils growth, if celery of good quality is dcsiicd. Heavy clay soils 

 are not good celery soils as they lack the desirable physical character- 



