CELERY 
Sow \% pound in seed-bed to plant an acre. 
For the garden sow 1 packet in a well protected seed-bed for 100 plants to set 25 feet of 
row for a family of 3 or 4 people. 

A typical row of Kilgore’s New Improved Pride Celery. 
INFORMATION ABOUT 
KILGORE’S CELERY SEED STOCKS 
A few of the very best and most ideal plants are selected for 
stock seed development each year in Florida fields. These se- 
lected stock seed plants are expressed to our celery breeding 
grounds in the west where they are planted. Each individually 
selected plant in enclosed before blossoming in a muslin cov- 
ered cage, in order to prevent the blossoms from being pollin- 
ated by those from another plant. A little seed from each of 
these individual progenies is then tested in Florida, and the 
best progenies are planted in succeeding seasons in the west 
for the production of celery seed for Florida growers. This 
laborious and expensive method of maintaining and improv- 
ing our celery seed stocks is repeated year after year, and ex- 
plains why Kilgore’s celery seed is being used so extensively 
by Florida celery growers. Our stock seed plants are selected 
in Florida to develop stocks of seed adapted to Florida grow- 
ing conditions. 
All our celery seed-growing fields are under controlled ir- 
rigation in the West, where experience has proved that the 
climate is better adapted for the production of strong-germinat- 
ing 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, as 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 in a year’s time by starting the seed 
plants in Florida during the winter, then shipping them North 
where they are forced into seeding in order to harvest the seed 
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 produce 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 
stalks. 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. 
You owe it to yourself to plant these improved stocks. Why 
take a chance on such an expensive crop as celery, when you 
can get seed which has been tested and proved under Florida 
conditions? During the past ten years, we have specialized in 
celery seed, each year making our own selections of stock seed 
plants in Florida, selecting a few of the very best plants out 
of thousands in the growing fields. It costs a great deal to 
produce this kind of seed, but it is worth more to plant. 
CULTURE OF CELERY 
Cutture. First sowings in Florida are made the latter part 
of June and continue to December. 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 protected seed-beds. The soil must be put in per- 
fectly 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 
at least 10 days before sowing seed, moist, and made perfectly 
smooth and level—sow the seed broadcast or in rows 6 inches 
apart, using 1 pound of seed to from 125 to 150 yards of bed 3 
feet wide. The seed should not be covered but may be pressed 
lightly into the soil with a very light roller or with a wide board. 
We recommend use of burlap or white muslin to be used as 
a cover over the seed-bed, stretching it on a tent-shaped or 
slanting frame built over the seed-bed, with the sides about 12 
inches from the ground to provide ample circulation of air. 
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, which have been thoroughly 
washed out before using to prevent burning of seed sprouts, 
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 cool- 
er during 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. With surface irrigation, fresh cool 
water should be circulated continuously around the beds. To 
control flea hoppers in celery seed-beds use Pyrocide dust. 
(See page 50.) 
When plants in seed-bed are 6 inches high, transplant to 
the field in double rows 3 to 3% feet apart, with 7 inches be- 
tween the double rows, and set the plants 3 to 5 inches apart 
in the row. The plants may be set in single rows 3 feet apart, 
allowing 3 to 5 inches between plants in the row. To grow fine 
Celery, a large supply of moisture and fertilizer is essential from 
the time the seed is sown in the seed-beds until the crop is 
ready for harvest. Celery is not a profitable crop to raise with- 
out irrigation, and it should receive very heavy applications 
of high-grade fertilizer, which should be applied before the 
crop is planted and at frequent intervals during its growth. 
The number of days in parentheses after each variety named 
indicates the relative number of days to marketable stage or 
harvest from setting out plants in the field or garden. It usually 
requires about seven or eight weeks to grow plants large enough 
to set in the field. 

14 THE KILGORE SEED COMPANY, Florida’s Leading Seedsmen 
