Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-09-22
Keeping Celery i'm Winter.

Hearing OF so many failures in pre-
serving celery in winter, l am induced
to give my experience in relation to this
matter. used to put my celery In
trenches, as is more or less generally
practiced. The result was, 1 had lost
half of it or more by rotting, especially
if there had been much rain during the
fall and winter, after the vegetable had
been stored away. After many annual
losses, as we'll rs suffering the incon-
venience Of celery stored in trenches,
where often in severe weather it is
either impossible to remove it with
safety, or it is done with the greatest
difficulty, thought Of plan which has
ever since proved successful in practice
and which | will describe. l had a piI
dug and prepared, which was completed
in almost as short time as it usually
required to dig trenches.
The pit was made eight feet long, five
feet wide, and three feet deep. Two
pieces of plank, each about ten feet long,
were then placed along the sides of the
pit at the ground-line, and were let into
the ground at each end, SO that the up
per edge of one was flush with the sur
face, while the other, on the opposite
side, not being dropped so much, stood
six inches above the surface of the
ground. These planks formed the plates
on which the roof rested, and one of
them being higher than the other gave
the roof pitch, which was six inches
for five feet enough to carry off the
rain falling on so small surface. Three
posts, one at each end and one in the
middle, were placed under each plank,
as supporters. A roof was made of inch
boards, doubled, so as to batten the
cracks. The entrance to the pit was
gained by eXcavating little in front of
it, and placing three or four steps in.
The front of the pit was boarded and
supplied with door. A frame was
placed around the dug-away entrance to
the pit and covered with a rough door,
placed on without fastening, so that it
might be easily thrown entirely off. In
the fall the roof is supplied with a cover
ing of leaves four or five inches in thick
ness, which remains on all winter, pre-
venting the hardest frost from entering
the enclosure. In the spring the leaves
are removed and both doors thrown
open, and the cave remains dry and airy
during summer. This place was made
several years since and still remains in
good condition.
Before the celery is put in, in the fall,
the ground at the bottom of the cave is
forked three Or four inches deep. When
the celery is dug, all the suckers and
struggling leaves are removed, and then
it is ready to be placed in winter quarters.
commence at the back side of the pit,
and, with trowel, open trench about
three or four inches deep, and in this
space the heads of celery, in an upright
position. packing them closely together.
The next trench is made so there will
be little spack between the rows. In
this manner the whole stock is placed
away. A pit of the size here described
will hold about three hundred heads of
celery.
The advantage of this place Is that
you can open it every day and procure
your daily supply fresh and sound. and
not have the celery lying around in the
cellar for week at a time, until all its
freshness and flavor is gone, ss is gensr.
ally the case where it is. placed in the
trenches, since trench cannot be open
GU ONClg Nah 81 IL bhO OoA n 1Au
take celery out of my pit.
Such place will keep in excellent
condition other vegetables, as beets. car
rots, parsnips, satisfy, and horse-radish
They will not wilt as they do in dry
cellar. In the spring, when have taker
up parsnips and satisfy, have put then
into this pit, and they have kept Ions
time fresh and good.
A pit of this style is never objectiona
BILE or offensive to the sight, like root
house, because it is made level with thu
surface of the ground and cannot b.
seen until one is close to it. can bl
made in any corner, providing 1t is dry
Celery must be kept dry, both above anG
at its roots; yet a cool, moist atmospher'
is indispensable for keeping it crisp ant
cool.-R. r, in Vick's Illuitrated Mag.