ANNUAL MEETING AT LEXINGTON. - 273 



practical farmer or horticulturist may occasionally fail here, or any- 

 where else, to produce the cereals, fruits or vegetables, though they 

 be adapted to his locality. 



While we assert that celery can be grown to perfection in this 

 latitude, we do not say that it is specially adapted to this climate, but 

 we believe that enough late celery may be grown in Jasper county to 

 supply all the markets in the State of Missouri with an abundance of 

 this "tony" vegetable, but not so easily as apples or corn are produced ; 

 more certainly, however, having the facilities and skill backed up by 

 persistent, careful labor. 



WILL IT PAY ? 



"Celery is a vegetable not usually found on the tables of those 

 who have a small salary." This fact limits the markets, for it must' be 

 an expensive article of diet, besides many know nothing about it. 

 More than one ruralist has wonderingly asked me such questions as, 

 "Is that a new way to raise parsnips ?" "What part do you use, the 

 tops or the roots f etc., etc. And yet our community has a goodly 

 number of wealthy and intelligent citizens who will have celery though 

 they pay a high price for an article shipped a long distance, and con- 

 sequently of an inferior quality to that which may be grown here, 

 cheaper and in abundance with irrigation, which is possible, as our 

 numerous springs and shallow wells, with the application of cheap 

 power pumps may be utilized, enabling the enterprising gai'dener to 

 overcome the difficulties sometimes presented by a dry season. And 

 possibly our larger streams may be controlled and irrigation on an ex- 

 tensive scale, cause our valleys to produce not alone celery, but cab- 

 bage, early and late ; also potatoes, which we frequently obtain from 

 northern states at great expense. Thus we may by irrigation save to 

 ourselves and our community the large sums of money annually sent 

 forever far away for these productions more especially adapted to other 

 States in the north. 



You gentlemen will not deem this talk about irrigation a digression 

 from the subject of celery raising. ,1 assure you it is pertinent to the 

 subject, and without it celery growing would be uncertain as a busi- 

 ness, more so than that of most vegetables excepting cauliHower. 



It is not within the scope of this article to detail the processes of 

 celery culture, and I will only touch on a few important points refer- 

 ring you to Mr. Peter Henderson's writings on miuor, though import- 

 ant details. 



H. R.— 18 



