A Fertility Program for Celery Production


cost for growing this crop was $188.41 without nitrogen and
$201.73 per acre with nitrogen. From Table 2 it can be seen
that the cost per crate of celery was approximately 64.5c for
the former and 67.9c for the latter. With a 50c per crate return
for the celery, it is obvious that a net loss would be incurred
from both treatments, and despite the five-crate difference the
loss from the treatment in which nitrogen was added would be
heavier. With a 70c return per crate both treatments would
have shown slight profits but under no probable market condi-
tions could the nitrogen have paid for itself. This has been
the only crop of the eight grown at the Experiment Station in
which the addition of nitrogen fertilizer has not yielded an
economically profitable return at 50c per field-trimmed crate
for the increased yield obtained.
 The year 1937-38 was, by contrast, a fine year for celery,
 as is indicated by the yields represented in Fig. 4. The strip-
 pings of the previous year's crop had been returned to the soil,
 and as a consequence only one ton of fertilizer was used, all
 applied before planting. The costs per acre were somewhat lower,
 being $173.98 without nitrogen and $180.64 with nitrogen. The
 cost per field-trimmed crate is found to be 19.3c for the former
 treatment, with a yield of 903 crates per acre, and 18.9c per
 crate for the latter, with a yield of 958 crates per acre. Almost
 any return will net a considerable profit under these conditions
 but the latter treatment, with a higher yield per acre as well
 as a slightly lower cost per crate than the former, is undoubtedly
 an economically sound fertilizer treatment. Actually, the 1937-
 38 season found marketing agreement restrictions in effect, so
 that the full yield could not be marketed.
 In summing up the effects of nitrogen in fertilizer, it has
been found that in eight successive years fertilizer mixtures
containing phosphate and potash plus 3% nitrogen have given
higher yields than fertilizers of the same potash and phosphate
content without nitrogen. These yield responses to nitrogen re-
sulted whether all of the fertilizer was applied before planting
or whether part was applied as a side-dressing. In seven of
these eight years the increased yield due to added nitrogen
was sufficient to more than pay the cost of nitrogen, at the very
conservative estimated value of 50c per field-trimmed crate.
Therefore, a total of 60 pounds per acre of nitrogen, applied
with the necessary phosphate and potash before the plants are
set, is the suggested procedure for commercial celery growing