The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-12-04
PITS AND CELLARS.


In storing carrots. first select all your
ripcncd ones. keeping them separate,
as they will be the ones fed up to the
middle of June; tho smaller ones should
he set apart for winter use. II you
must pit them. select the most sandy
ground you have for the rdrpose; II all
sand or gravel so much the better, rs
frost will not penetrate. either to any
depth. Mark your ground four feet
wide, and any desired length; stretch n
line. and mark out with back Of spade
to intended pit; from this excavate u
trench ono spade deep and two feet
wide. On your bed lay enough soil or
sand to raise it eight inches; when set
tied it will be about SIX. On this lay
very light brush, lust sufficient to cover
soil (birch or beech Is best, but
any thing like it will answer).
Form the outside walls of your
largest roots. keeping crowns to the
outside; next inside row. lay the end of
roots to crown the first row. thus form
ing wall of roots. filing the inside n
discriminatory. If time can be spared,
it will look better to compact them by
laying them straight. rs you build the
oliside and one end. Keep drawing in
regularly, which is easily done by
placing each layer outside. just resting
on edge of crown of preceding row or
layer; thus you will make them as
straight as n bricklaycr will lay brick
wall A most essential point for their
keeping well is, rs YOU bu Id, when
every O ghtccn inches high. to lay some
of this brush (samc as bottom) length
wise and Gro swise. sufficiently thick SO
that the next layer will not touch the
other, and SO on to the top, finishing
out to peak. This brush carries off
all over-heat. If you can not obtain
brush, do not make your pit over three
feet wide; when finished put on straw
one sheaf thick all round, and on top.
When the straw is on, mark your
ground one foot wide from bottom, so
that your pit will be straight In lay
ing up your soil, on no account tramp
il (Which have frequently seen done),
rs the looser the soil the more frost it
will exclude. At every ten feet, as you
Till up, place sheaf Of straw, butt on
the roots, to carry off all foul air from
the pressure of earth against it; it will
look very small when finished. Turn
top down and tic with string. A pit
built in the above-de scribed manner
keeps carrots when the thermometer is
twenty-eght degrees below zero. Should
your locality 60 forty degrees below, !
should advise covering all over with
leaves or litter, laying heavy brush
against the material to prevent the
wind blowing it away. There are more
roots lost through over-hcating than by
frost.
There are but few farms that do not
have buildings on them to which root
house can not be attached at little cX-
pense; the labor attached to pitting an
nually would more than pay the inter-
est of capital invested. For instance,
last fall, had no root house. The
question was whether to pit or build; on
the place thcrc was bridge twenty-four
feet wide, with an opening ut bottom
nineteen feet wide, one side a stone
abutment. the other side brick wall OF
n stable and coaah-house. Twelve fee,
from ground to bridge bottom. to PIE
vent horses and cattle from going
through, hanging bars were attached.
AS it was, it looked very uns ightly. to
say the least. l built u siXteen-incl
hollow wall Mt each end, leaving an
opening between the bricks of four
inches; aga nst the brick wall and abut-
ment put three by four hemlock studs,
shcathing with hemlock rough boards
thus giving me an air-chamber all round
of four inches; matched boards as ROOT
running to peak under the center of the
bridge, resting On four by-iour hem
locS, leaving an opening Of two feet
square on the roof each side of the
bridge: shoot was made to fit thi.
opening. could then dump from car
and wagons directly into my bins. The
interior when finished was twenty-five
feet long, eleven feet wide and ten feet
high, with drain under all of twelve
inch plank, at bottom. and on it rough
hcmlock boards. This gives perfect
| ventilation all through. One sash with
four cight-by-ten glasses was placed on
the north end, and double doors ut the
south end; passage-way three feet, with
six bins on each side; bins partitioneC
off with two-by-threc studding; board:
IN front go into slides: when illing
can put them in rs fill up.
| am not afraid of cold; am of heat
From this cellar, plain and simple,
fed roots up the middle of June, with
out their showing sprout, and hat
weather twenty degrees below zero.
have built very many elaborate roo
cellars. to correspond with other build
ings. but for keeping roots, this l thinl
is the best have ever built or seen, ant
so say others. The great trouble will
root cellars is that the bins are toe
large; they do not have sufficient ven
! t,lation, and have solid walls. wen
into root cellars in December. Man
Colds, beets, carrots, swodes and pota
toes were sprouted from starting to foul
inches long; cellar as warm as kitchen
and so smelt. Let those who have larg'
b ms, in storing their roots. as the,
fill in. put brush between each layer o
two feet. and ventilate to twcnty-eigh
degrees if possible. keep mine rang
ing about the freezing point, which il
easily done when you pack right, an(
are master Of ventilation. Odor viii
!, tell you if any are heating; if SO, turf
all over.
should have said that, in maxim.
your pits outside, select full northern
exposure. When full south. it is TIN
thnwing by day and freezing Mt nigh
which does the harm. II your pits go
no sun Mt any time, the longer and bet
ter will they keep. Potatoes for sprin!
] use prefer keeping in; they come OH
much fresher than from cellars. Al
, roots can be saved as above Gerai,
Hotoard. in Country Gentleman.