14 Florida Agricultural Experiment Station

sented in Table 1, which includes all costs attendant upon the
production of a crop under average conditions for the 1937-38
season.

 TABLE 1.-AVERAGE COSTS AND RETURNS FOR AN ACRE OF CELERY,
 BELLE GLADE AREA, FLORIDA, SEASON OF 1937-38.*

N um ber of operators .......---- ................ ..... ............................... 4
Acres planted ....---.......-... --......-- ...........--..----.......... ........ ...... 408
Acres harvested ...----....--........... ------..... ------.......... .. .......---........ 364
Average yield of harvested acreage (crates) ............................. 448

 Per Acre
Cost of Growing Plants:
 R ent on land ..................... ...... ......... ... ...............$ .54
 Preparing seedbed ........... ........................... ..............- .... 5.73
 Fertilizer ................... --. ...... ... ..---- ......- ............ .86
 Seed ---... ---.................. ... ...................... ............... 2.90
 Applying fertilizer and seeding .................................... .... .32
 Spraying- including materials ............ ...... ...... ................. 1.33
 Irrigation expense ............................................................. .. .99
 Labor (weeding and covering beds) ..................................... 4.24
 Depreciation on seedbed frames and covers ........................ 5.50
 M miscellaneous ....... ..... ......... ....... ....... ...-------..... ...- .28

 Total -................... ----------........ $ 22.69
Costs of Growing and Harvesting:
 R ent on land ........................................................... ............. $10.91
 Growing cover crop ......------.................. ---................. 3.58
 Preparing land for celery ............................ ............... ....... 6.07
 Fertilizer -----.......................................... .................... ............. 34.77
 A applying fertilizer ............................................................... .86
 Transplanting from seedbed to field .................................... 14.03
 W ater control .....----. --------................................ ....... 2.88
 Cultivating and weeding .......................................------------ 11.64
 Spraying- including materials ....-........... ......................... 16.17
 Blanching:
 Applying and removing paper ............................. ........ 11.38
 Depreciation on paper and wire ..................-................. 9.30
 Cutting celery and field stripping ........................................ ----- 34.36
 Hauling to packinghouse .................................. .......... 15.68

 Total ..... -------------...........-----....... $171.63
Cost of Marketing:
 Grading ......----- .....--- --..................-- ..--- ..----... $58.24
 Pre-cooling ......... ............. .. ---... ..................... 35.84
 Crates .......--...........................- ...-........------ 85.12
 Selling .. ..... .....................................................- 32.70

 Total ................ .......-----. ---------- $211.90

Total cost excluding production interest and operator's
 supervision ......................... .....-.... ...... -- ....... $406.22
Returns from celery marketed ....................--- ...........----- 487.76
Net returns to operator ............................. ----- ..-- ..-- 81.54

 *Data furnished by R. H. Howard of the Economics Department, Agricultural Extension
Service. University of Florida.