Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-12-16
Disinfectants for Cellars.

DiSinfectants for Cellars.
An Iowa farmer writes that he had a
bad case of diptheria in his family last
winter which the doctor said was caused
probably by some vegetables in his eel
lar that had begun to decay. He, there
fore, asks some advice concerning disin-
fectants for the cellar, as his is built IN
der the house, and he wants to use it for
his winter vegetables. In reply we would
say that we think that it would pay him
to take the little trouble necessary to dig
pits for his vegetables rather than run
the risk of anothr diphtheria case in his
family. Vegetables should never be stor-
ed In a cellar under the house in any
quantity if it can possibly be avoided. If
they must be put there, take especial
care to ventilate the cellar well, and keep
the temperature as near as possible to the
freezing point, without letting it descend
to actual freezing. The trouble with
house cellars, usually, is that they are too
warm, thus causing rapid decay in the
vegetables, and are not sufficiently venti-
lated. The foul OdOrs gather therein and
become fOuler daily, and ascending into
living rooms above, bring thither not
merely Offensiveness, but the seeds of dis
ease and death. Every cellar should have
windows on each side, or communicating
passages through the ground to the outer
air at some distance away, by means of
which they can be thoroughly ventilated.
The vegetables should be picked over
frequently, and disinfectants used at in
tervals. Ths various disinfectants used
are chloride of lime, carbolic acid, and
copperas. These should be sprinkled on
the floor of the celIar-not on the
egetables-occasional A very effec-
tual disinfectant, and one that is not ex-
pensive or dangerous to use is chloride of
manganesia. But no better disinfectant
exists, perhaps than dry earth. To keep
roots, as potatoes, turnips, carrots, and
parsni ps, well in a cellar have them per-
fectly dry, and cover the heaps with dry
earth. Now, if the cellar is quite cool.
there will be no undue evaporation of
moisture from the roots, and the dry
earth will prevent the formation of fun
gus growths or decay. Another good way
to keep potatoes and other roots is to
barrel them up tight. No roots of any
kind should be kept in cellar with fur
mace, but squashes will keep we'll there,
as they keep best in warm atmosphere.
If celery is to be kept in the cellar it
should be packed and thoroughly covered
around and between the stalks with fresh
mold dug from the garden.
WINTER STORAGE OF VEGETABLES.
The inquiry of a CORES pOndent CON
corning the storing of vegetables in the
house cellar, replied to above, reminds US
how many farmers are at this time lying
in their store of family vegetables and
we Gull the following suggestions concern
ing the care of vegetables:
Roots of all kinds except onions keep
best in pits out of doors, and although it
Is unpleasant work to open a pit when
covered with snow and frozen litter, yet
it is satisfaction to take out the roots
in hard crispy condition, such as is not
attained IN cellar.
To make pit, choose a well-drained
spot and split the land with one-horse
pillow about four feet wide and long
enough to hold all the roots when piled
in a ridge four feet high and four feet
wide. After blowing, shovel out the
loose loan at each side and dump the
roots in the bottom of the pit, and pile
them into neat ridge four feet wide at
the bottom and and sloping to a point
three and half or four feet high. Cover
with six inches of loan, leaving openings
every ten feet at the top, made by
placing handful of hay on top of the
roots.
After covering pail out the hay so as to
give air to the roots, and replace it only
In very severe weather. After the loan
has frozen nearly through cover the
whole with leaves, coarse litter, or horse
manure SO as to stop further freezing.
Vegetables keep better cold than warm,
and turnips will bear freezing far better
than keeping warm. Potatoes may be
kept little warmer than turnips, but
they all do best when kept rather cool.
Onions should be kept in dry loft or
on the barn floor till they are in danger
of freezing, when they may be barrelled
and put in a cellar or bin in loft where
frost is kept out by stove. They need
to be Kept dry and cool, and if they can
be frozen and kept from thawing they
will come out in better condition in spring
than any other way
Squashes are kept best in an airy eel
lar or loft where there is a stove of fur
mace. They need dry air. and tempera
ture above 40 deg. and below 60 deg. to
keep well. Look them over often and 1e-
move all specked ores for sale, or rotten
ones which might injure others near
them. They are usually piled on shelves
two tiers deep.
Spinach Is not so much stored In houses
as formerly, since it is found to keep bet
ter IN a cool pit we'll covered. The pit is
made like celery pit, with two shelves
of pickets, on which the spinach is piled
about a foot deep and covered with
boards. 1t is well to have good ventilat-
ors to the pit, which may be closed or
opened at WILL Keep them open at night
and closed by day till the spinach and the
ground under it are slightly frozen, and
then cover well with salt hay or eel grass,
and try to prevent it from thawing till it
is wanted for use. In cold weather it
keeps well, but in long thaw it is apt 10
rot badly. To store for a short time it
may be placed on empty cold frame COW
cred with shutters and litter.
The Late Rose Potato.
Cor Globe Democrat