A Fertility Program for Celery Production


worked in deeply, since many of the roots of celery grow near
the surface.
 It should not be necessary to add lime or dolomite (calcium
 or magnesium) to these soils at any time. Boron deficiency
 does not commonly occur on Everglades soils; however, if such
 a condition is suspected, the addition of 10 to 15 pounds of
 borax per acre should suffice and will not be dangerous if it
 is properly distributed.
 These recommendations are based primarily upon experi-
 mental work on sawgrass peat soils. For heavier muck soils
 of the Everglades area no positive recommendations can be
 made because of lack of experimental data, but it is suggested
 that a somewhat similar program be followed, substituting a
 fertilizer slightly higher in phosphate, such as a 3-8-12. The
 more highly mineralized soils seem to have a higher phosphate
 requirement with most truck crops than do the highly organic
 peats.
 A brief discussion of the common cultural procedure for celery
growing in the area is included in the body of the bulletin. The
most important features of such a procedure are the weekly
application of bordeaux sprays (in which the necessary zinc
and manganese may also be added, instead of in the fertilizer),
and the maintenance of a suitable water table during the grow-
ing season, from 16 to 24 inches below the soil surface.
 The fertilizer program suggested has been shown to be eco-
nomically sound on the sawgrass peat soils of the Everglades
Experiment Station, assuming a return to the grower of 50c
per 70-pound field-trimmed crate of marketable celery. This
program is intended to serve as a base for commercial plantings
on comparable soils, but since there is some land variation
throughout the area, it is suggested that the grower try varia-
tions of the program based upon his previous experience with
celery or other crops on his own land, keeping an actual cost
and return record. It is only by such means that the most
economical procedure for celery growing on any piece of land
can be determined.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 The author is indebted to Dr. R. V. Allison, the late H. H. Wedgworth
and the late Dr. A. Daane for much of the planning of this experimental
work; and to Dr. G. R. Townsend, Mr. Wedgworth and R. E. Robertson
for their close attention to and detailed records of many of the earlier
crops grown.