Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-11-01
AK Ma.
FlE LnE'sNp GRRDEN
STORING VEGETABLES.

died On q Successful Truck Farm.
We begin the last week in October 10
store the winter celery. / have 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 l set up row Of boards on
edge and drive stakes On both sides of
the boards 10 hold them in place; then,
with spadng fork, l dig up the eel
cry, taking up a lump OF soil on the
roots. The celery is set against the
boards, AMI when one row of plants is
ia place | draw a little soil around the
roots with a Loo and proceed to put in
another ROXY III the same way and con-
tmue the work until space three or
four feet wide has been filed IN, when
another board is set Up. III this way
make a bed 10 or u feet wide
If wide Boards are not used. 50 that
the tops do not reach a few inches
above the celery, another beard should
be placed on tep 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
~. as it admits of an air space between
the plants for then they had better dry
out after Il rain. | advise leaving them
uncovered as long as it can be safely
done.
When it is time to cover the celery to
prevent its freezing, a few boards may
be placed across the bed. then other
boards laid lengthwise ON these, leav-
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
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, thick covering
of straw or manure may be added.
If an opening is left and a 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 cell
cry can be stored in this way il less
than one-half the time required te 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 al
that is done in taking out the celery is
to remove the banking Of straw from
lie outside boards and from tie top
and remove some of the boards. and
the celery comes out without any dig
ging. and it is clean, needs no washing,
and 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 | 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 cellar.
l 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. bat
taking care not to wet the stalks or
leaves; then I set a board against tie
row of celery and continue III this way
until the cellar Is filled.
l usually have orders for celery PIT
UP in boxes to put in the cellar for
winter use. l put about two Inches of
soil in the bottom of the box, then lift
the celery with 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. / | 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, shovel on 10
or 10 inches more, If mulch of
coarse manure is put Oh when the
ground is frozen hard, 1t viii help to
prevent the ground from freezing and
thawing during the winter. and the
cabbages will keep better. The forego-
ing are the methods of an experienced
trucker originally described in Ohio
Farmer.