Field of Old Golden Heart Self-Blanching Celery. Kilgore’s Genuine French-Grown Seed. 
Photo taken in Kilgore’s Celery trials on R. F. Cooper’s farm, Sanford, Fla. 
CELERY 
Sow y<% pound of seed in 
seed-bed to plant an acre 
Culture. For early Celery, first sowings in Florida are made the latter part of June and continue to Decem¬ 
ber. The main sowings for a winter crop are usually made in July or early August, and for the spring crop 
grown principally on muck they are usually made in October and early November. Celery seed is always planted 
in seed-beds. The soil must be put in perfect fine condition and made into beds 4 to 6 or more inches high, to 
prevent overflow in case of heavy rains. When in condition—thoroughly and finely pulverized, well fertilized, 
moist, and made perfectly smooth and level—sow the seed broadcast or in rows 6 inches apart, using 1 pound 
of seed to 150 yards of bed 36 inches wide. The seed should not be covered but should be pressed into the soil 
with a very light roller or with a wide board. 
Celery plants cannot be grown in the open, especially during summer; therefore we recommend use of bur¬ 
lap or white muslin to be used as a cover, stretching same on a tent-shaped or slanting frame built over the 
seed-bed, with the sides about 12 inches from the ground. This seed-bed cover will serve as a shade and also 
break the force of heavy rains. It is also advisable to use ground-covers of burlap or old fertilizer bags on the 
beds when seed is planted, letting them lie flat on the ground until seed begins to germinate. This prevents 
heavy rains washing seed off the beds and also keeps the ground cooler dui'ing hot months, which insures a 
better stand. After the seed is sown, it is desirable to sprinkle with cool water by means of hand sprinkling pots 
in order to keep the soil cool and moist, which tends to increase the germination of celery seed during the hot 
summer months. 
When plants in seed-bed are 6 inches high, transplant to the field in double rows 3 to 3 *4 feet apart, with 7 
inches between the double rows, and set the plants 3 14 to 5 inches apart in the row. The plants may be set 
in single rows 3 feet apart, allowing 314 to 5 inches between plants in the row. To grow fine Celery, a large 
supply of moisture and fertilizer is absolutely essential from the time the seed is planted in the seed-beds until 
the crop is ready for harvest. Celery is not a profitable crop to raise without irrigation, and it should receive 
very heavy applications of high-grade fertilizer, which should be applied before the crop is planted and at fre¬ 
quent intervals during its growth. 
Important Information About Kilgore s Celery Seed Stocks 
The Kilgore Seed Company has spent a great deal of time, ef¬ 
fort, and expense in an endeavor to develop and improve its dif¬ 
ferent stocks of Celery seed, and we are now in position to tell 
Florida Celery-growers with assurance that they cannot secure 
better Celery seed anywhere, regardless of price. In order to safe¬ 
guard our customers against planting poor stocks, our Celery seed 
is tested, not only by ourselves but by Florida Celery-growers in 
different sections, a season in advance of selling it, so that we 
know absolutely what it will do under Florida conditions before 
you plant it. In order to have an additional check, each season 
we send samples of our Celery seed up North where we person¬ 
ally inspect the planting during the summer months. 
Our Celery trials are conducted in our proving grounds at 
Plant City, Fla., as well as on one of the Celery farms at San¬ 
ford, Fla., where we test our stocks in comparison with many 
others in order to make certain that they are at least as good 
as the best when grown under Florida conditions. 
All our American Celery seed-growing fields are under con¬ 
trolled irrigation in the West, where experience has proved that 
the climate is better adapted for the production of strong-ger¬ 
minating Celery seed than anywhere else in the United States. 
Our western-grown seed is always larger and of higher vitality 
than Celery seed grown in other sections, because the climate 
under which western-grown Celery seed ripens and cures is 
uniformly dry. 
Furthermore, we do not force the growth of our seed plants, 
making them produce seed in a year's time by starting the seed 
plants in the South during the winter, then shipping them North 
where they are forced into seeding in order to harvest the crop 
before frost. Our experience has indicated that this method of 
producing Celery seed, which is quite common, results in small. 
weak-germinating seed, producing plants of low vitality with a 
tendency toward hollow-stemming and the production of early 
seeders. Our seed plants grown in the West are made to pro¬ 
duce seed the second year. This is done by holding the plants 
with very little water for several months after they have made 
their growth but have not started to develop seed stocks. 
This is the natural way Celery plants should develop seed and 
accounts for the lack of weak plants, early seeders, and hollow- 
stemming in plants produced from our western-grown Celery 
seed. Our celery seed stocks are especially developed and 
selected for resistance to premature seeding. 
Our seed-growing fields are carefully inspected several times 
each season to eliminate all green sports, green heart, early 
seeders, and plants which are not absolutely true to type. Short 
ribbed plants and those developing poor hearts are destroyed, 
and seed is saved from only the most desirable plants. You owe 
it to yourself to give these improved stocks at least a trial. Why 
take a chance on such an expensive crop as Celery, when you can 
get seed which has been tested and proved under Florida condi¬ 
tions and with which you are taking absolutely no risk? 
During the past few years I have tested out different strains 
and types of Celery secured from different sources, and invari¬ 
ably I find the strains of Celery put out by the Kilgore Seed 
Company to be of excellent quality and of very high yield. 
In fact, my highest yields last season were produced from your 
stocks of seed.—R. F. Cooper, Cameron Ave., Sanford, Fla. 
For the last three years I have grown several so-called good 
strains of Celery side by side with your French-grown Old 
Golden Heart, checking them closely, but I have yet to find 
an Old Golden strain that will come up to the standard of your 
type.—Geo. E. Balmes, Sanford. Fla. 
10 
THE KILGORE SEED CO., PLANT CITY, FLORIDA 
