The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-10-22
.EVERYMAN'S GARDEN
Winter Storage Cellars for Fruits and Vegetables.
LFrom tho October Issue Of Tho country een.em.nl
lie Of Tho Country eentIeman.l

To get the full benefit Of garden,
fall and winter storage Is necessary.
Many products may be kept until next
spring: others will keep only a few
weeks. The home gardener usually
cannot hope for the highly efficient
results of commercial refrigerating
and cold-storage plants, but he will
be we'll repaid for time and effort
spent in utilizing such facilities as he
may have at hand.
There are two chief limiting factors
Of successful storage: First is the con.
diton Of the articles stored. Second
is the sort OF place in which they are
to be stored, for moisture, tempera-
ture and ventilation must be con.
trolled.
Storage begins with harvesting.
Some vegetables and fruits possess
better keeping qualities If placed in
storage before they have fully ripen-
ed; apples and pears, particularly,
should be stored before reaching ma
turity. Many losses are occasioned
by the storage OF products infected
with diseases. Again. bruising and
other damage may be sources Of
trouble. Hence the necessity for per-
fectly sound and unchanged speci.
mems of the proper stage OF ripeness.
Vegetables should never be washed be-
fore they are put away for the winter
Some products do best with cool,
moist atmosphere to preserve their
| plumpness, although an excessive
amount Of moisture may cause delay.
Others like the sweet potato and the
squash. require comparatively warm,
+, dry atmosphere to prevent decay.
| Free circulation of air is desirable in
nearly all instances. The temperature
must be steady and without fluctua-
! ton.
/! It is long way from the dirt and
straw covered heap Of apples or pota-
toes to the modern cold-storage plant.
There are varying grades between.
such as vacant hotbed. pit, bin
/ in the house cellar. partitioned room
in the house cellar. and well-con-
structed outside cellar-cemented. in
sulated and with regulating ventilat-
iors. The home gardener Is necessar-
! ily restricted to the more simple and
! inexpensive means of storage.
To store properly we should con.
slider the requirements Of the different
IiNiCS W Dc SIO1 GU. Hcy ludy pC
divided into three classes:
First-Apples, Irish potatoes, beets
ltGrnips. carrots. parsnips, cabbages
cool, moist place with temperature
near thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit.
Second-Pears. tomatoes, eggplants.
neppers and onions require a cool.
dry place OF about thirty-two degrees
Thfr6-Cu.nn< hat
and pumpkins should be stored in
warm and very dry places with tenn.
perature of about fifty-hve degrees.
Be Sure Your Pit 10 Drained.
The simplest way to store potatoes
! Is to bury them. First select we'll.
drained and somewhat, elevated site.
Make an excavation eight to ten
inches deep and four to five feet wide
and In this nit place three-inch layer
Of straw. Pile the potatoes in a
rounded heap on top OF the straw-a
heap just large enough so the tubers
will stay in position without rolling
off, II considerable quantity is to
be stored there may be sections or
toes may be taken out Of storage with.
Out eSpOStHS, tile "Hcle lOt.
After the potatoes are piled, cover
the heap with six-inch layer of straw
and a thin layer OF dirt. As the sea.
ZONES colder. increase the layer OF
earth to a foot or so in thickness.
When hard freezing weather comes II
is a good idea to cover the earth lay.
(, er with twelve-inch layer Of coarse
~ hot r,1n1cb{,<y m a.
terial. In any case. no matter how
well drained the site may seem. a
! trench should be dug entirely round
the pit to a depth slightly exceeding
that OF the pit. This insures good
| drainage.
II one does not acre to store pota-
| toes in pit. and wishes to use a
house cellar. conditions must be made
to suit the crop. A warm furnace
room would never do. not only be
cause Of the warmth but because OF
the dry atmosphere. The potatoes
would quickly rot and shrivel away
Probably the best thing to do is to par
tition or portion of the cellar, thor.
oughly insulating the partition walls
and any pipeN that may be inclosed.
The insulated walls may be con.
structed like the walls of an ieehouse.
Put up two-by-fours or two-by-sixes
and to each side nail tight wall
using heavy building paper or felt,
making double wall Fill the space
between with sawdust, cork, straw or
other loose material that is non-cen.
ductor of heat The door should like
wise be insulated. like that of re.
/ frigerator or a butchers icebox. 1t is
desirable to have a window or some
other outside opening enter such a
! storage room. in order that IL may be