Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-05
TRY CELLAR GARDENING THIS EASY AND PROFITABLE

Perhaps you don't feel like UNDER
taking a greenhouse this winter. and
window garden IS not convenient
for enc reason o. another. Then why
not try a cellar garden? There is
something wonderfully fascinating
about cellar gardening. One lights
lamp, descends into a darkened cellar,
and returns laden with freshly-ga
cred luxurlcs for ones table. There
is something exhilarating in being
able to exhOrt about "our new pota-
toes, - our asparagus when all out
o9-doors IS covered with snow and
your less progressive neighbor IS only
dreaming Of next summers possi-
binties
If you only want to try one thing,
start with rhubarb. The best way il
TO use old roots from the garden by
dividing them, although you can also
buy the roots from your florist. If
the rbuharb in the garden has been
undisiuroed Cor several years it will
need pretty vigorous work to dis
lodge the roots for five or six years
growth means the development OF
huge clumps, that look more like
bouiders than vegetable growth
After a big clnmp has been dug up
leave il on the surface of the ground
for several days and nights, so that
ii may be slightly frozen; otherwise
it will noe give so good a crop when
forcing commences. Then divide into
handle-able-si2ed pieces, say, about
foot square. Use n sharp axe and
make clean cuts. being careful not
to injure embryo buds which will be
found on the side which has been
nearest the surface of the earth. II
~ .
roots can be laid directly on it: but
il there IS a cement or wooden floor,
make the bed about nine inches deep
Of garden soil then sprinkle with
water in which nitrate of soda has
been issolyed-a bout one ounce to q
gallon of water. If there is a furnace
in the cellar. keep pan OF water on
TOP Of il, to furnish moisture
Temperature Required.
The temperature may range from
anything above freezing to 30 degrees
without any injury being done 4
low temperature simply retards
growth and darkens the color of the
stalks. The main thing is to get the
heat near the ground. where it will
benefit the roots. For this reason it
is usually better to depend on lamps
OF lanterns in the house cellar.
1t takes from three to four weeks
for stalks to reach the gathering
height Of twelve to fourteen inches.
and the crop usually continues for
about a month. To maintain q long
season an extra supply of roots
should be dug up and kept in some
outside shed. where they will remain
dormant and can be easily gotten at.
even in midwinter, when it would
be impossible to dig them If they
were in the garden.
The second lot of roots should be
brought in when the first lot COM
mences to bear. otherwise there will
be a pause in the supply. When the
stalks commence to decline in guam
tity and size, 1t is time to stop fore
ing or the roots will be injured for
future use. Remove them from the
cellar, and place them in the shed
from which the second lot was taken
then, in the early spring, as soon as
outdoor work can commence, divide
the roots into two or three pieces and
plant out eighteen inches apart in
rows two feet apart. The ground
must be we'll fertilized with stable
manure and the beds kept free from
weeds all through the summer. No
stalks should he gathered from roots
the summer following forcing, and
even the next summer it is wise to
gather only a light crop if the roots
are TO be again used for forcing.
They need all the vitality and
strength they can store during the
eighteen months between the two
periods OF forcing.
The treatment of asparagus in the
cellar is exactly the same as for
rhubarb, the only difference being in