CELERY-GROWING IN FLORIDA. 



545 



prevented perfect pollination and rendered the quality 

 of the berries about as poor as possible. It takes sun- 

 shine and hot weather to make flavor and sugar. The 

 large acreage of Bubach, which ripens the bulk of its 

 fruit at two pickings, glutted the market and reduced 

 prices, and I think the growing of so many Bubachs 

 and Haverlands is reducing the consumption of straw- 

 berries, as people do not hanker after them as they do 

 after fruit that leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth. 

 Probably the gloomy, rainy weather affected the market 

 also. A heavy rain in the afternoon certainly dimin- 

 ishes sales, and when it comes on Saturday it is quite 

 disastrous. 



The wet spring made it easy to transplant all kinds of 

 plants, and new plantations are full and growing finely. 

 I have 77 plants of the new Muskingum strawberry that 

 on July 9 were loaded with ripe fruit, and growing in 

 Zanesville. They were moved that afternoon and 



planted two days later, and they all lived and are mak- 

 ing runners freely. I know of no new variety that 

 seems to have a more promising future than Muskingum. 

 It is large, in form like the Cumberland, and dark red in 

 color both inside and out. More than all this, it has a per- 

 fect blossom not easily killed by the frost. 



To-day we have the first good picking of Palmer rasp- 

 berries, although a few were ripe July i. Planted side 

 by side with Doolittle, the latter furnishes two good 

 pickings before the Palmer, though the Palmer after- 

 wards makes up for its tardiness in large size and 

 abundant yield. Shaffer shows a few ripe berries to- 

 day, but Hilborn has none. Cuthbertand Golden Queen 

 show here and there a ripe berry, while Turner has 

 already produced two full pickings, bringing 14 cents a 

 quart, wholesale. Despite its soft berries and weed-like 

 growth. Turner is a great favorite in some localities. 



Summit Co., Ohio. L. B. Pierce. 



CELERY-GROWING IN FLORIDA. 



SOME HINTS OF VALUE TO ALL GROWERS. 



quantity 

 1 for the 



OR several years a smal 

 of celery has been grov 

 supply of the great tourist hotels 

 of Jacksonville and St. Augustine, 

 and good prices have been obtained 

 for it, especially in the first years 

 of the undertaking. As high as $1 

 a bunch was frequently received 

 for it in February and March some years ago, but lately 

 the acreage has been increased, so that 85 cents a bunch 

 has been about the best price obtainable in Jacksonville 

 and Atlanta, the price dropping to 35 cents in April and 

 May. It has been found that about 25 acres would sup- 

 ply the demand in the two cities named. This year two 

 or three venturesome growers have dared to offer Florida 

 celery ia New York in competition with the famous arti- 

 cle from Kalamazoo and other points, and these offerings 

 have been well received. Some of the earliest shipments 

 sold in New York for $6 a case — about 60 bunches — and 

 from that price down to $4.50 when it arrived in good 

 condition, and much less when in bad order. Shipments 

 by all-rail express have gone through in good order, but 

 some that were sent in steamer-refrigerators spoiled. 



B. H, Alden, of Lawtey, Florida, sows his seed in mid- 

 summer. To protect it from the drenching rains and 

 hot sunshine of the summer ' ' rainy season " he sows it in' 

 beds sided up with boards about a foot high, on which 

 coverings can be laid. After making the surface very fine 

 and smooth he sows the seed, and does not cover it with 

 earth at all, but spreads gunny-sacks over it and sprinkles 



them twice a day. The beds are covered up dark and 

 tight, and this gives a warmth which germinates the seed 

 in about three days. It would require ten days or more 

 to sprout it under ordinary methods and conditions. As 

 soon as the seeds begin to sprout, the gunny-sacks are 

 removed and placed on the boards covering the beds. 

 During the day the ends of boards are lifted here and 

 there to give the plants air. The process of hardening 

 them to the light and sunshine is accomplished gradually 

 by the removal of the s.acks, spreading the boards apart, 

 and finally removing them altogether — the whole process 

 occupying about three weeks. 



In this way Mr. Alden secures an almost perfect stand 

 of celery. To protect the plants against vermin, chiefly 

 flea-beetles, which are thick, he sprays the beds with a 

 strong infusion of tobacco, The plant tops are snipped 

 off now and then with a sickle or with shears, to make 

 the plants grow stocky, and a thousand or more seedlings 

 are removed and potted for several weeks. 



For his earliest crop Mr. Alden transplants in Novem- 

 ber. To prepare fertilizer for his beds, he has several 

 tons of muck from a cypress-swamp dug and dried. With 

 this he heavily litters his cow-stalls. This is stirred oc- 

 casionally to make it absorb all fertilizing elements and 

 mix them thoroughly. With a mass of this, measuring 

 perhaps 5 cords, he mixes 200 pounds of Florida soft 

 phosphate, and firms it down with water in which has 

 been dissolved 25 pounds of high-grade sulphate of pot- 

 ash. It is allowed to heat somewhat two or three times, 

 to destroy germs and seeds, but not enough to "fire-fang" 



