The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-10-19

STORING VEGETABLES.

STORING VEGETABLES.
How Celery and Cabbage Are Han
died on Successful Truck Farm.
We begin the last week in October to
store the winter celery. l have a way
of storing and blanching the part of
the crop that is marketed before Christ
mas that is much easier than drawing
it to the vegetable cellar. On one side
of the field set up a row of boards ON
edge and drive stakes ON both sides of
the boards 10 hold them in place; then,
with a spading fork, l dig up the eel
cry, taking up a lump of soil on the
roots. The celery is set against the
boards, and when one row of plants is
In place | draw little soil around the
roots with hoe and proceed to put in
another row in the same way and con-
tinue the work until Il space three or
four feet wide has been filled in, when
another board is set up. In this way
make bed 10 or l. feet wide.
If wide boards are not used, so that
the tops do not reach n few inches
above the celery. another board should
be placed on top of the first and nailed
to the stakes, as it is important to have
an air space between the top of the
celery and the covering. The celery
will keep better if it is set rather loose
ly, as it admits of an air space between
the plants, for then they had better dry
out after Il rain. l advise leaving them
uncovered as long as it can be safely
done.
When it is time to cover the celery to
prevent its freezing. few boards may
be placed across the bed. then other
boards laid lengthwise on these, lcav-
ing some openings for ventilation to be
filled with straw ON cold days The
boards are often all the covering that
is needed before Thanksgiving. and a
light covering over the boards of corn
stalks or other refuse from the garden
will generally keep out the frost until
Christmas, when, if it is desired to
keep the celery longer, a thick covering
of straw or manure may be added.
If an opening is left and Il hotbed
sash be placed over the top to let in the
light, the celery will keep longer. The
sash may be covered with mating or
straw on very cold days. The same
boards may be used that were used for
blanching the early celery, and the eel
cry can be stored in this way in less
than one-half the time required to car
ry it to the cellar or trench it in the
ground, and it is much more easily TAX
en- out and prepared for market. All
that is done in taking out the celery is
to remove the banking of straw from
the outside boards and from the top
and remove some of the boards. and
the celery comes out without any dig
ging, and it is clean, needs no washing.
and Il good deal of disagreeable work
is saved.
The part of my celery which | store
for the late winter and spring supply |
put in the vegetable cellar or in a pit
made for this purpose. When l store
it in the cellar, | first scatter an inch
or two of earth on the bottom, then |
carry in the unblanched celery, and,
commencing on one side of the cellG.1
fill in a space across it about two feet
wide, drawing the soil around the roots
as it is put in, at the same time wetting
the soil on the roots of the celery, but
taking care not to wet the stalks or
leaves; then | set board against the
6 -, L..
until the cellar is filled.
l usually have orders for celery put
up in boxes to put in the cellar for
winter use. | put about two inches of
soil in the bottom of the box, then lift
the celery with a fork, leaving some
soil ON the roots, and set it rather loose
ly in the box, as packing it close will
cause it to heat and rot sooner. | bore
some holes four or five inches from the
bottom of the box to pour water
through. The rule to be observed in
keeping celery is to keep the roots moist
and the stalks and leaves dry.
Some time after Nov. l | begin to
trench the cabbages for winter use. |
pillow a deep and wide furrow, then
spade it out so it is about IS inches
deep and feet wide. pull the cab
bages and set them heads down in the
trench, putting on an inch or two of
soil as they are put in; then. just be-
fore the ground freezes, l shovel on 10
or - inches more. If a mulch of
coarse manure is put on when the
ground is frozen hard, it will help to
prevent the ground from freezing and
thawng during the winter. and the
cabbages will keep better. The fOrego-
ing are the methods of an experienced
trucker originally described in Ohio
Farmer.