Some Minor Farm ( rops. 



87 



greater part of this will be bleached white. When ready, a 

 large furrow is ploughed ofp one side of the ridge, and then 

 a good "draw" with a spade will expose one side of the roots. 

 The plants are drawn out on that side and laid against the ridge. 

 The celery is then bound up firmly and compactly into bundles 

 of twelve roots, with willow twigs. The superfluous earth is 

 knocked off, and the celery is then ready for the market. The 

 value of each bundle at the station will be from 6d. to Is., and 

 the weight of a bundle will be up to 28 lb. 



Frequently the whole of the hand labour, from planting in 

 the trenches to preparing for the market, is let to a "gang" for 

 61. per acre. This will include filling in gaps where the plants 

 have failed. 



Celery is often grown two years in succession, in which 

 case the trenches will fall nearly in the same places. Potatoes 

 usually follow celery, as the land is in such excellent condition 

 for them. Some farmers grow early potatoes between the 

 rows, and these, of course, are marketed before the " banking " 

 stage in the celery cultivation is reached. The cost per acre of 

 growing celery is : — 



£ g. d. 



Jlent, Rates and Taxes ..... 



Fork Manure, 30 tons ..... 



Plants, 21,000 



Planting ,\ 



Cleaning . n„ i ■ . 



„ , . "^ V Manual Labour .... 



Banking . 



(Jetting upj 



Horse Labour ....... 



Artificials ....... 



The return per acre is f)U^. or more, but this crop is a 

 highly speculative one. In one case known to the writer, a 

 farmer sold his crop in the year 1913 for 601. per acre, whereas 

 in the previous year, the wet season of 1912, his crop was not 

 worth as many shillings. 



Lansdowne House, 



-Althorjie. Doncaster. 



James Stephenson, M.R.A.C. 



