12 
The Colorado Experiment Station. 
in the table or two small boards are fixed so that the celery can be held in 
a neat bunch of twelve until tied with a string or tape. 
Colorado celery is mostly shipped south and east. Texas takes a great 
many cars, and Kansas City, New Orleans and St. Louis are good markets. 
During the season of 1908 shipments were mad© as far east as Pittsburg. 
The crop is marketed through commission men and through fruit and vege¬ 
table associations. 
Cost of Growing. —The cost of growing depends on the value of the 
land, the kind of celery grown, amount grown on an acre, methods of hand¬ 
ling and methods of marketing. It can readily be seen that there is more 
expense in raising forty thousand early plants to the acre than in raising 
thirty thousand for the late market. It costs more to get the crop ready 
for the market, because the plants have to be raised under glass and the 
crop will most likely be blanched with boards. However, the early crop 
commands a considerable higher price than that which is marketed later. 
Some growers claim that $70 per acre will cover cost of manuring, 
plowing, growing plants, setting, irrigating and harvesting, when shipped 
in the rough. This does not include rent of land. However, the expense is 
liable to run considerable higher than this, especially if the crop is blanched 
with papers, or :if it is trenched, washed and bunched before marketing. 
In the latter case expenses may frequently run over $150 per acre. Of 
course, if prepared in this way, one should get enough to pay for the extra 
work. Eastern growers sometimes expend as high as $400 per acre on this 
crop, largely due to the great cost of commercial fertilizers and manures. 
If the grower has good success he should be able to sell his crop for 
$250 per acre even at the low prices of last season. Some growers, when 
prices have been extra good, have secured over $1,000 per acre for their crop, 
but this, of course, is exceptional. 
Growing for the Local Markets. —At the present time the growing of 
celery is confined mostly to the vicinity of the large cities which do not have 
any local growers, and consequently have to ship in all their celery. Since 
celery wilts rapidly, it could be furnished in much better condition by local 
growers who, in this way, would be able to secure the best price. Nearly 
all our towns have at least some river bottom land well adapted for this 
crop, the principal requirements being a rich soil retentive of moisture with 
a steady supply of irrigation water. 
Diseases and Difficulties in Growing. —There are no serious insect pests 
to interfere with celery growing in Colorado at the present time. 
There is always more or less complaint of pithiness, but even this does 
not seem to be a serious trouble under our conditions. Under irrigation the 
crop may be kept growing evenly and steadily and this probably lessens the 
per cent, of pithy celery. It is, of course, of great advantage to get seed of 
the best grade, as pithy celery will much more likely result if a poor quality 
of seed is used. 
The greatest drawbacks in celery growing is the production of “seed¬ 
ers.” The plants may appear perfectly normal until along in the summer, 
when they suddenly send up a seed stalk, thus making the plants valueless. 
It is not an unheard of thing to have one-half of the crop suddenly go in 
this yvay. There are many theories as to the cause of this. Many think it is 
the result of the plants becoming frosted while in the seed bed or in the 
early part of the season. There is not much question but what a severe 
freezing may cause a large part of the plants to go to seed the first season. 
However, it appears that a severe drying out of the young plants may cause 
the same difficulty. It is generally agreed that a severe check of any sort 
may cause this trouble, evidently producing the same result as passing 
through the winter. 
One thing which caused considerable failure during the past season 
was that so many poor plants were set in the field. If we expect to get good 
marketable celery we must not use small, dwarfed or stunted plants. Celery 
growing requires very careful, intelligent work in the spring and proper 
handling throughout. the summer, but it gives good returns to him who 
knows how and is willing to do his part in assisting nature. 
