The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-27
AGRICULTURAL.
Preserving Vegetable, I'm winter.

As the season is at hand when we must
take care of such vegetables as are to be
stored for Winter use, we will describe some
of the methods employed by the market gard
eners for the storage of some OF the more
delicate sorts of vegetables, such as celery,
spinach, caulifower, squashes, etc.
SQUAsHEs Ore stored in large quantities by
the gardeners, In squash houses built on pur-
pose. The squash house is provided with
shelves of loose boards in the style of
spinach house, only the shelves must be three
feet apart, in order to give room to work be-
tween them, and the house is usually built
entirely above ground, as warm, dry air is
desirable. The squash house also is lighted
by windows, which are provided with shut
tiers, to be closed in severe weather, while the
walls are double plastered, with az air space
between. The squash house is also provided
wife good stove, capable of holding a fire all
night, and of maintaining temperature of
50o in severest weather. Squashes are a
tropical product and keep best when taken
from the field little before quite ripe, and
kept at a uniform heat of so deg. to go deg.
and ventilated little in damp weather.
Roots can be kept very well in good cool
cellar iD barrels headed up. They should be
washed before heading, If intended for sale in
Winter, and all coarse and very small roots
culled out for feeding to the stock; well as
sorted and washed roots always sell better
than those careiessly put up. II, however,
barrels are not at hand, pile the roots in the
cellar not over Jour feet high, and cover them
with a little hay to keep them from willing.
Where piled they are apt to heat and grow,
needing watching and sometimes overhauling.
Whore large quantities of roots are stored for
feeding to stock, they are usually put in pits.
The pit is made by splitting piece of land
with the rlow about five feet wide, and shov-
elling out the loan at each side. The cart is
backed in at one end and the roots dumped,
and then carefully piled in a ridge about three
or four feet high. They are then covered
with an inch of hay; over this about six
inches of loan are placed and carefully patted
down with the back of a shovel, SO as to shed
rain. When severe weather in November
threatens to freeze through this covering,
leaves, straw or other litter should be piled
on, enough to keep out frost, but not enough
to heat the roots. This sort of pit should be
provided with air holes every ten feet, made
by placing piece of 3-inch tile or wooden
spout through the covering. These air holes
will need to be stopped with w:sp of hay in
severe weather, aud at other times may be
kept open. Roots of all kinds keep thus in a
fresher condition than in cellars. II the
weather continues warm for long period in
Winter there is some danger that turnips
piled thus will heat, hence they should not
be piled over two feet deep for this reason;
mangels will bear piling deeper. When it IS
desirable to open the pit to remove some OF
its contents, uncover it at one end and take
out enough to last week or two at time,
and then cover the end carefully to keep out
the frost. The roots can usually be stored in
cellar for few days more conveniently than
to open the pit frequently and cover it again.
American CuttiUator.
CELERY is stored in pits covered with
boards and protected from frost by a covering
OF eel grass, leaves, meadow hay, or other
convenient litter spread over the boards.
To get ready celery pit, the ground is first
measured off of suitable size to store the
amount required, making the pit either
twelve or twenty four feet wide, as the Gov
eriDg boards will need support every six feet
in the width of the bed, and these boards are
unusually either six or twelve feet in length.
When measured off, the land is ''split' with
the large pillow and then the earth shoVelled
out at all sides, so as to throw up a bank
about two feet high. Planks are now set up
around the pit, adjusting the distance be-
tween them SO that the covering boards will
cover them, while they are held in place by
stakes driven into the ground and braces
across the pit. A row OF stakes down the
middle of the pit, about four feet apart, sup
ports ridge-pole of 2x4 joist, on which and
Ou bu6 pldukS dIc ldiQ LILO CUtcIluS UOdluo
the roof should have about the pitch shown
necessary to shed water. The celery is
dug up and carted to the pit in November,
just before the ground freezes, taking fine,
dry day, when the leaves are not frozen.
The roots are covered with a little earth SO as
to make them stand up in the pit, and they
are allowed to stand rather loosely, to let a
little air pass between. Some of the coarser
leaves are trimmed off before packing them
away. As fast as the pit is filed up the COW
ering boards are laid on, so as to keep off the
sun by day and the frost by night. 1t the
weather threatens to be cold, little litter, or
some old mats, should be thrown over the
boards to keep out the air. When al! the pit
is filled the covering may be placed on. Eel
grass is best, but anything that will keep out
the frost will do. The pit should have air
holes and should be aired every fine day to
prevent decay. Celery keeps best in cold
Winters. Warm weather sets it growing and
makes it hard to keep. Usually the Boston
or even till April, when lettuce takes it place.
SPINACH. The condition required for
keeping spinach are similar to those in use
for celery, viz, cool, damp, and dark pit.
But as spinach does not need to be heeled in
upon the ground like celery, it is customary
to store it in cold frame, or hot-bed frame,
covered with the glass and shutters, or in a
spinach house, built on purpose, and provided
with shelves.
CAULIFLowERs can be stored till about
Christmas in cold frame, with the glass over
them. Take up all the good roots that have
failed to head by November 10. and
heel them in, in good deep cool frame,
and cover with glass and mats, airing them
on fine days, and they will mostly head up by
Christmas, and can be used as they come in
order.