The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-17
MILLICENT ARRowPoINr.
STORING ROOTS An yEcwT,p1Es


The season for storing away the vari-
Gus root crops will soon be at hand. With
regard to preserving many of these crops
some difficulty is experienced. What is
required By most. if not all OF them. Is
dryness and uniform temperature. and
that above the freezing point A FROST
PROOF house built for the purpose is. in
the main. the most convenient and effsc-
tual storage receptacle. Cellars are much
used Tor this purpose. and are convent
ent and unobjectionable if made under
some odtbuiiding, as beneath a room in
Darn IOr instance, FOR in such case the
heaith OF the family would not be en-
dangeTed by foul emanations arising from
decayed vegetation put in cellars made
Deneath the dwelling. However. these
can be so well constructed as to obviafe.
In a great measure. this evil.
Where there Is such thing as a hill
SIDE on the farm. a storehOuse can be-
easily made-a south hillside, it should
be. Make an excavation of sufficient size;
within this build a wall a few feet high
OF spit logs or other suitable material:
over this put a strong roof: cover this
with earth of sufficient depth. Just be-
meath the roof leave or cut a small aper-
ture for ventilation The floor should
have slight inclination from the hill
outward, to insure proper drainage. In
this way. and at very little labor or ex-
pense. can be constructed a good and
durable storage room In such a reposi-
tory roots, apples. potatoes and. in a
word, all kinds of vegetables can be read
lily stored. and for the most part safely
kept.
Many store their crops in pits in the
field where the crops grew. Most root
crops can be securely put up in this way
The pits should be put upon elevated
ground so that water may not stand
about them On such elevations open
trenches with spade or plOw. have the
roots dry and clean. and heap them up
in these. Dry straw. or anything OF sim
liar nature, must be put over the heap
several inches thick and indeed a layer
of straw under the heap would be all the
better; then cover with earth. leaving an
aperture al top to give vent to gases
arising from he usual fermentation and
heating. during which considerable mOis-
ture escapes. Then. before severe weather
sets in. cover sufficiently deep to secure
against freezing.
Roots or otner crops should be ripe
sound and dry when stored, otherwise de-
composition begins in places. and quickly
ads through the mass and spOils all.
When large quantities are heaped to-
gether. It would be better TO put in at
various places, when storing, barrels with
holes in the sides; bundles of brush or
sticks will do as well: these viii give es-
cape to moisture. These should be COW
cred at a little elevation to prevent rain
/ descending into the heaps.
( With regard to keeping sweet potatoes.
we hardly hope TO advance anything that
will be any Improvement on old methods,
/ 50 OlIlCuIL = II 10 pLeSei Nc tlliS FAp'bIt-
We have put these tubers up in various
ways, but none Of them uniformly sue
cessful The method given below we be-
Iieve to be the best:
There must be the frost-proof store
house herein Recommend or cellar, then
much of the difficulty will be obvlated in
keeping sweet potatoes. A uniform tenn
perature, dryness and ventilation are alb
solute requisites, which, in such store
house, are pretty well preserved. and II
the potatoes are stored away in Well
ventilated bulks. or better, spread out
not more than a foot deep on the floor,
or shelves one above the other. 70 econ
ornize room, they Will seldom fail to keep
well Care must be taken 20 so ventilate
the apartment that it viii not become too
close and warm, as warmth will ruin the
potatoes as surely as cold or moisture
I Jas l. Baird in the Epitomist.