1890.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 43 



men when the work begins in spring. From my first begin- 

 ning of the l)usiness, now over forty years ago, we have 

 always used greenhouses in connection with our out-door 

 gardens, and in consequence have been able to keep our old 

 hands, at least twenty-five of whom have been with us from 

 ten to thirty years. We pay these men nearly twice the 

 wages of inexperienced workmen, and find it has paid to do 

 so; for, in all the years we have been in business, we have 

 never passed one where the balance has not been on the 

 right side of the ledger. 



The Chairman. I notice that there are quite a number 

 of market gnrdeners in the audience, and Mr. Henderson 

 will be glad to answer any questions that may be asked. 



QuESTiox. In relation to tlie growing of celery, are 

 there any new varieties to take the place of the old ones ? 



Mr. Hexdersox. The best answer to all questions of 

 that kind is to tell for what the demand comes. As seeds- 

 men, we find that we are now selling more of the White 

 Plume than any other variety. There are some sections 

 where it may not do as well as some other variet}^ ; but we 

 probal)ly sell one-third more of White Plume than any other 

 kind of celery seed. Of course a good deal depends on 

 where your market is. 



Now, the way you grow celery in Massachusetts is entirely 

 difterent from the way we grow it in New York. You allow 

 suckers to come up, and very sensibly, I think, sell it in that 

 way ; because the portions of celery where it branches with 

 suckers are the most tender and the best eating. But we of 

 New York have got into the habit of tearing all the side 

 shoots oft". We grow it coarser, and it does not branch so 

 much. Therefore I say that varieties grown in one section 

 may not answer in another. There is a variety known as 

 the Golden Self-blanching that was introduced some two 

 years ago, that, in sections where it will grow well, I think 

 is one of the very best. It is shorter and specifically heavier 

 than any other variety, but for some reason or other there is 

 a weakness of constitution which prevents its growing in 

 certain sections. In our section it does not grow at all ; 

 but I saw it growing about Binghamton, N. Y., last year, 



