3906. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
745 
CELERY ON A SWAMP FARM . 
Fertilizing Soil Richer Than Manure. 
Part IT. 
We know that stable manure is strong 
in nitrogen, but lacking in the other ele¬ 
ments. Thus it seemed as if manure would 
add the elements least needed by the soil, 
and supply only in small quantities the 
needed potash and phosphoric acid. These 
things induced Mr. Niles to use chemical 
fertilizers. By this means he was able to 
add the plant food which the celery crop 
demanded, and give it in soluble forms as 
required. Another thing which may seem 
strange to many farmers is the fact that 
Mr. Niles seemed to ignore the plant food 
already in this rich soil, treating it as if 
it were poor and barren. He used one ton 
and more of fertilizer per acre. The soil 
and location were naturally good for cel¬ 
ery. Mr. Niles figured that it pays to put 
plant food in and take celery out. 
Remember that I am not advising the 
average farmer to drain a swamp and use 
a ton of fertilizer per acre in raising corn, 
grass or potatoes. Last Fall I drained a 
low field and have raised a good crop of 
corn with no manure or fertilizer. I am 
telling what Mr. Niles did, and his results 
have fully justified his methods. It has 
evidently paid him to disregard the wealth 
already in the soil, and use a large amount 
of plant food. He does not mix at home 
or use the separate chemicals, but con¬ 
tinues to use the same brands as formerly. 
In warm seasons, when growth is natu¬ 
rally good, the well-known “10-per-cent 
potash” mixture is largely used. Last sea¬ 
son was cold and backward, and it became 
necessary to use other mixtures for a time 
—for example, the special mixture for 
heavy soils. Part of the fertilizer is 
broadcast before setting the plants, and 
worked into the soil with a cultivator. 
The rest is put on at different times along¬ 
side the rows, so as to keep a constant 
supply close to the plants. Every care is 
taken to have the plants make a steady 
and regular growth, for a setback to celery 
is hard to make up. Therefore from the 
time the little plants are set out until the 
celery is dug care is taken to have the soil 
well supplied. 
At the time of my visit in July what 
to me was a new operation was going on. 
The celery had made a fair growth and 
part of it was being prepared for hilling 
or blanching. Workmen went through 
with hoes, cutting or scraping with a pecu¬ 
liar motion the soil on each side of the 
row, so that it sloped gently away from 
the plant. Within a few days fertilizer 
was scattered along the rows by using a 
hand drill. This was lightly worked into 
the soil. The theory upon which this was 
done illustrates the care and system with 
which Mr. Niles works. The object was 
to start out a new set of feeding roots for 
the celery. The fertilizer put near the 
surface after this peculiar working in¬ 
duced this new root growth. Then the 
plow was run through the middles, throw¬ 
ing the soil both ways to bank up the 
celery. Of course the roots were broken 
off. With average conditions this smash¬ 
ing of the roots would check the growth 
of the crop until new feeding roots were 
made. But this was provided for when 
the fertilizer was put on the surface, so 
that in spite of the plowing the crop never 
stops. Anyone can see the advantage in 
keeping a steady growth on the celery, and 
this is but one of several devices prac¬ 
ticed by Mr. Niles for the purpose of pre¬ 
venting any check in development. It is, 
of course, impossible to explain in detail 
here how Mr. Niles grows celery. A man 
must live with the crop and be a part of it 
before he could hope to ship carloads of the 
crisp, fragrant crop that comes out of this 
swamp. I might picture or describe the 
motion of the hands, but the brain work 
back of them is the life of the work and 
yet the indescribable quality. 
Briefly stated, part of the fertilizer is 
broadcast and worked into the soil with 
a spring-tooth harrow. The horses wear 
broad plates of wood or steel on their 
hoofs, so that they will not mire. The 
plants are set by hand, and worked again 
and again by hand hoe and cultivator, 
the object being to keep the soil constantly 
stirred. In case of blight, Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture is applied with knapsack sprayers. In 
digging a machine like a curved knife is 
drawn along under the row, thus cutting 
off the roots. Then workmen follow, tak¬ 
ing out the plants and trimming off the 
outer leaves. Then the plants are. taken to 
the packing shed, where they are washed, 
trimmed, sorted and bunched. To follow 
one of these • celery plants through its 
quick growth to the crate is like following 
a bale of cotton through the factory until 
it appears as finished cloth. We have 
heard farmers cotuplaiu of the difference 
between a gouad of cotten or wad and a 
pound of finished cloth, but they did not 
fully realize what stands between the two. 
I realize how futile it would be to at¬ 
tempt to tell on paper just how this fa¬ 
mous celery is grown. The thing thatjs 
common to many of us is the possibility 
of this swamp soil. There are thousands 
of acres of such lands scattered over the 
East which might be made to yield abund¬ 
ant crops. Mr. Niles’s experience goes to 
show that those soils do best when well 
supplied with chemicals. h. w. c. 
LET THE DREW 
WORK FOR YOU 
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IlTPII I7r THE power now being 
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✓ 
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"S' Let Us Send You 
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CORNED BEEF 
mg 1 
lLH 
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SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
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lerday. 
Motsinger Auto-Sparker 
Starts and Runs 
Catalog 
full 
in for 
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Gas Engines without Batteries. 
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CAREY’S =? ROOFING 
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(Signed) M. Thomas, President, Pittsburg, Pa. In Use 18 Years. 
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Applied Over Shingles. 
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There are some GOOD mills. 
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STODDARD LINE 
-OF- 
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Buyinq Power by Ouess 
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Albany, Baltimore, Bangor, Me., Boston, Buffalo, Hartford, New Orleans, Phil'a., Pittsburg. Syracuse, London. Eng. 
"V. 
