One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered

by Edward J. Wickson

I desire to know the different methods by which the celery is bleached, and particularly whether boards or other material other than earth is used for this purpose.

There is some blanching of celery with boards, cloth wrappings, boot-legs, old tiles, sewer pipes, etc., in market gardens in different parts of the State, but the great commercial product of celery for export is blanched wholly by piling the light, dry earth against the growing plant. As we do not have rains during the growing season and as the soil on which celery is chiefly grown is particularly coarse in its texture, there is no rusting or staining from this method of blanching. It shakes out clean and bright. Conditions which make earth-blanching undesirable in the humid region do not exist here.

Corn in the Sacramento Valley.

Is it practical to raise corn in the Sacramento volley? Are the soil and climatic conditions suitable?

The success of corn on plains and uplands in the Sacramento valley has not yet been fully demonstrated, although good corn is grown on river bottom lands, and it is possible that much more may be done with this grain in the future than in the past. Corn does not enjoy the dry heat of the plains, and even when irrigated seems to be dissatisfied with it. How far we shall succeed in getting varieties which will endure dry heat and still be large and productive will ere long be determined by the experiments which are in progress. The old Sacramento valley farmer has been justified to some degree in his conclusion that his is not a corn country. Still it may appear so later.

Plant Corn in Warm Ground.

I also put in a lot of corn and none of it came up. The ground was damp and rather cold, as well as being alkali.

Corn should never be planted in cold, wet ground - in fact, very few seeds should be. Besides, corn has no use for alkali.

Sweet Corn in California.

I have been informed that sweet corn cannot be raised in this part of the country, an account of worms eating the kernels before the ear has matured. Is there any method of overcoming this difficulty?