THE SOFT ROT OF CELERY 



149 



The Soft Rot of Celery 



The central portions of celery plants are frequently 

 attacked by a disease which causes what growers call the 

 "soft rot." A portion of a plant 

 so affected is represented in Fig. 

 64. This appears to be due to 

 minute bacteria. It especially 

 attacks plants banked or stored in 

 wet places, and sometimes causes 

 serious losses. Golden sorts ap- 

 pear to be most liable to the mal- 

 ady. Dr. Halsted advises, as a 

 preventive, keeping celery dry or 

 placing it under pure water. His 

 discussion is found in the 1892 

 report of the Jew Nersey Experi- 

 ment Station. The injury of this 

 malady is not confined to the core. 

 The leaves are also affected ; they 

 become spotted with brown, the 

 spots often having the watery ap- 

 pearance that bacterial blights 

 are likely to produce. Instances 

 are on record in which large crops 

 have been ruined by this disease. 



FIG. 64. SOFT ROT OF * 



CELEKY. It seems quite possible that the 



bacteria causing this malady are the same as the ones 

 causing tomato and potato blight and similar diseases. 



