134 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



produce short, thick celery with a nice, waxy look. On an- 

 other field the celery will grow long and ha.ve no waxy ap- 

 pearance, and this is quite apt to go to pieces very quickly 

 in the pit. These various fields are manured alike, about 25 

 cords of manure to the acre, and about 200 pounds of nitrate 

 of soda in addition to the manure, and the difference in the 

 make-up of the celery must be due to some property of the 

 soil. jSTow I didn't know but something might be put onto 

 these other fields which would give the celery in them this 

 waxy appearance and make it grow short instead of long. 

 If I could put in something there for $25 or $50 an acre 

 which would give it that appearance I would do it right off. 



Mr. Moore. What is the general condition of the two 

 soils on which you grow this celery; you speak of different 

 fields ? 



Mr. Howard. The land which -grows the waxy celery is 

 a heavy loam and is located at the top of the hill or on the 

 side of the hill. At the foot of the hill we have a heavy sand, 

 about 2 feet deep. Underneath that is a water table, not 

 more than 2^2 feet from the surface of the ground. All of 

 the celery that grows on that low land will grow long and 

 slim and never have the waxy appearance which characterizes 

 that grown upon the high land, but the manure in both is 

 just the same. 



Mr. MooRE. On that very point, where it grows so heavy, 

 I wonder if it isn't the water table, — its getting more mois- 

 ture. I think we have all observed that with less water it 

 grows a little stockier, and it seems to me that the water 

 takes the force off the celery. 



Mr. Howard. I would like to ask the Professor if he has 

 had any experience with beets which would lead him to think 

 that you can develop a strain of beets coming off about two 

 weeks after you begin to pull the first ones ? 



Professor Watts. We have not conducted any experi- 

 ments with beets at the State College. I should think, 

 though, that you could materially shorten the time of pro- 

 duction by selection. I don't know just to what extent you 

 could accomplish that, but I am quite certain you could make 

 progress. 



