CHAPTER XVII 



CELERY 



Within recent years celery has increased greatly in importance 

 among vegetable crops. Formerly it was found only on the tables 

 of the rich, or used upon special occasions like Thanksgiving and 

 Christmas. Now it is common in any but the smallest markets 

 a large part of the year, and is considered more in the nature of 

 a staple vegetable than a luxury, as was formerly the case. How- 

 ever, it has not become common in home gardens, and its commer- 

 cial culture is confined principally to particular areas where con- 

 ditions are especially favorable to its growth. 



Celery demands cool weather, a soil rich in humus, and an 

 enormous quantity of water. Its period of growth extends over 

 a longer season than the cool spring or autumn weather of central 

 latitudes. It is therefore grown principally as a summer and fall 

 crop in the North or a winter crop in the extreme South. It may 

 also be grown as a summer crop in the high altitudes of the 

 mountain regions, and to some extent as a fall crop in the central 

 prairie regions. Celery culture has reached its highest develop- 

 ment on reclaimed muck swamps in cool climates, where the soil 

 is composed principally of organic matter and the water table is 

 within a foot or two of the surface. These soils are so loose and 

 " springy '' that horses working on them must be equipped with 

 broad blocks of wood on their feet to prevent their miring down. 

 One of the most famous celery regions of this character is located 

 at Kalamazoo, Michigan. The great celery fields of California 

 are also located on similar soil. 



The chief difficulties in growing celery in ordinary localities 

 are excess of heat and deficiency of moisture. The latter may be 

 overcome by furrow irrigation in the arid mountainous regions 

 of the West or by overhead sprinkling in the intensive market 

 gardens of the East. On upland soil that cannot be artificially 

 watered, celery is an uncertain crop except in unusually wet 

 seasons. In central localities, when the summer is so wet and cold 

 that corn almost refuses to grow, celery flourishes luxuriantly; 

 in ordinary years it will make a fair crop on rich soil, if given 



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