A FERTILITY PROGRAM FOR CELERY PRODUCTION

 ON EVERGLADES ORGANIC SOILS

 By J. R. BECKENBACH

 CONTENTS
 Page
 Cultural procedure followed .... .. ......... ..... ...
 Stalk size distribution in relation to yield .. ........ ......
 Description of the Experimental Plot .. .. ........ ....
 Influence of various "trace" elements upon celery yields .... 11
 Depth of the water table ... ..... .. ........... 13
 Cost of growing celery in the Everglades ........ ..... 1
 Influence of nitrogen upon yields and costs ....... ....... 16
 Influence of potassium upon yields and costs ... ..
 Influence of phosphates upon yields and costs .................... 27
 Method and rate of application of fertilizer .. ....... 30
 M miscellaneous suggestions ... ........ ................... 32
 Summary and abstract ........ ...... ... 3
 Acknowledgments ... .. .... 3,
 Literature cited .... ....... .. .
 A appendix ........ .. ... ... ....... 3

 INTRODUCTION

 Peat and muck soils throughout the country are particularly
 well adapted to various truck crops, and especially to the leaf
 crops. The rapidly increasing utilization of Everglades organic
 soils for the production of celery is, therefore, a logical de-
 velopment.
 On the other hand celery is a notoriously gross feeder, requir-
 ing a heavy initial outlay of cash for fertilizer in comparison
 with most other truck crops. It also requires a relatively long
 growing season, commonly from 85 to 110 days after being set
 in the field, depending upon the variety and time of year grown.
 As long as beans were a sure money crop in the Everglades a
 majority of growers concentrated on this crop, but since the
 margin of profit has been steadily diminishing many growers
 in the region are, of necessity, branching out into a program
 of growing different truck crops. For this and other reasons,
 celery production is rapidly increasing. Palm Beach County
 shipped 347 carloads of celery in the spring of 1938 (3)1. In
 1934 only 54 carloads were shipped (3), and in 1929 only 5 (7).
 The marketing season for the region extends from early Jan-
 uary through May. In comparison with other areas in the state
 347 carload lots would make the area seem of minor importance,
 but the extremely rapid expansion in the last few years belies
 such a conclusion.

 'italic figures in parentheses refer to "Literature Cited" in the baed
of this bulletin.