326 



VEGETABLE GARDENING 



Celery commands a price of 10 to 75 cents a dozen 

 plants. Twenty-five to 40 cents is the usual range of 

 prices. Extensive commercial growers regard $100 an 

 acre as a fair net profit. Market gardeners usually do 

 much better than this. 



416. Insects. The aromatic flavor of celery seems to 

 serve as a repellent to insects, for this vegetable has no 

 serious enemy. The following insects are sometimes 

 troublesome: Grasshoppers, celery leaf tyer, celery 



-..: '-*. .- '''' ' ' *- 



*'".'*?- '"- ' >?- 



FIG. 8l. TWO FORMS OF SWISS CHARD 



caterpillar, zebra caterpillar, tarnished plant bug, celery 

 looper, carrot rust fly and the little negro bug. 



417. Diseases. Several diseases of celery are some- 

 times serious. The most important are the blights 

 (Cercospora apii and Septoria petroselini, var. apii), leaf 

 spot (Phyllosticta apii), and rust (Puccinia bullata). Bor- 

 deaux mixture is frequently used for the control of celery 

 diseases. Some growers begin making applications in 

 the seed bed and repeat at intervals until blanching be- 

 gins. The early applications are doubtless most effective, 



