Each of those three also made comments, as noted in Table 12.

 One said California celery had better leaves and another that the

 leaves were "stronger." The third stated that less leaves on Cali-

 fornia celery resulted in fewer problems. On the other hand, one

 respondent, who rated Florida celery leaves better, felt that the

 longer transit time from California resulted in more leaf breakdown.

 Another interviewee noted that leaf quality from both growing areas

 varied with conditions in each area.


 Compactness of Stalks


 Exactly half of the group of 22 responding firms rated California

 celery more compact than Florida celery stalks (Table 13). However,

 eight felt there was no difference in compactness and three stated

 that Florida celery was more compact. All three of those were firms

 in the Boston area. This is significant because Boston retailers and

 wholesalers were more particular about overall produce quality and

 somewhat more selective in their purchases than were firms in the

 other market areas. This selectivity reflects the nature of consumers

 in the Boston area, who are generally more particular in their produce

 purchases, according to retailers there.

 Only one of the 11 respondents stating California celery was more

 compact had a specific comment. Others, however, did criticize Florida

 celery for being "wild" at certain times, especially early in the sea-

 son. A few mentioned that Florida celery had somewhat less heart for-

mation than did the California stalk.