The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-07-16

In6 pAuSEy VI oSS4S'
The Storage Room In the Basement
Many houses are heated by a fur
mace in the cellar. The pipes are as q
rule carried under the joist, thus
warming the cellar to some extent
For this reason it is best to partition
of a small room in one corner of the
cellar to serve as a storage room fol
potatoes, beets, carroIs. parsnips
satisfy and turnips. If possible, this
room should have at least one window
for the purpose of regulating the TEN
perature. The floor should not be con
GREETED, as the natural earth makes bet
ter conditions for the keeping Of vege
tables. Bins may be constructed tol
the various products, or they may be
stored in boxes, baskets, or barrels
This room will also serve as stor
age place for fresh fruits and canned
goods. The vegetables to be stored
should be harvested when the ground
is dry, allow to lie on the surface long
enough for the moisture to dry OF be-
fore placing them in storage. The
tops should be removed from beetsr
turnips, carrots, and satisfy before
placing them in storage.
Outdoor Pits or Banks.
Outdoor pits or banks are very gen
orally used for keeping potatoes, beets,
carrots, turnips, parsnips, cabbage a0d
satisfy. Select a well drained location
and make a shallow excavation, some
six or eight inches deep, and Of suit
able size. This is lined with straw,
leaves or similar material, and the
vegetables placed in conical pile on
the material. The vegetables are then
covered with straw or similar mate,
rial, and finally with earth to depth
of several inches. The depth Of the
earth covering is determined by the
severity of the winter in the particular
locality. 1t is well to cover the pits
with straw, corn fodder. or manure
during severe weather. Such pits keep
the above vegetables very well, but
have the objection that it is hard to
get the material out in cold weather,
and where the pit is once opened 1t IS
desirable to remove the Nentire con-
tents. For this reason several small
pits rather than one large one should
be constructed so that the entire con-
tents may be removed at one time. In.
stead Of storing each crop in pit by
itself, it is better to place several veg
etables Of similar keeping quality and
requirements in the same pit, so that
it will only be necessary to open one
pit to get supply Of all Of them. In
storing several crops in the same pit
it is good plan to separate them with
straw, leaves, or other material. The
vegetables'from the small pit may be
placed in the basement storage room
where thy can be easily secured as
needed for the table.
Cabbage may be stored in special
kind Of bank or pit. The excavation
is made long and narrow and about the
same depth as for the other vegeta'
bles. The cabbages are pulled and
placed in rows in the pit with the
heads down and roots up. The whole
is covered with dirt, no straw or lit
ter need be used. These pits are MADE
as long as desired, as it is possible to
remove portions Of the stored prod
uct without disturbing the remainder.
Cabbage need not ne covered as deep
ly as potatoes, as slight freezing does
not injure the cabbage. The heads Of
cabbage are sometimes stored in
banks or pits in manner similar to
potatoes, turnips, etc. This method is
open to the same objection as when 1t
is used for potatoes 1t is hard to geI
at the material when 1t is needed. An
other method of storing cabbage con
sists in setting the whole plant in
trenches side by side with the roots
down and as close together as they can
me placed. Dirt is thrown over the
roots and against the stalks to the
depth Of several inches. A low fence
is built around the storage place and
rails, scantling or other supports laid
across the top. About two feet OF
straw or other material is then piled
on top Of the storage pit,
Celery may be stored in modified
type Of outside pit, or in the row where
it is grown. When stored in pit or
trench the plants are taken up and
set side by side in a shallow pit as
close together as it is feasible to pack
them, and wide boards set up along
the outside Of the pit. Dirt is banked
against these boards, and the top GOV
cred over with corn fodder or similar
material When celery is kept in the
row where it is grown the earth is
banked up around the plants as the
weather gets cold. When freezing
weather occurs the dirt should be
brought to the tops of the plants and
the ridge covered with coarse manure
straw, or Colder held in place by means
of stakes or boards.
Outdoor Caves or Cellars.
Outdoor caves or cellars are supe,
rior to banks or pits in many respects.
They require no more labor to store
the vegetables than an indoor cellar,
yet give uniform and low tempera.
ture during the entire year. They pos.
sess practically all the advantages OF
the bank or pit, yet may be entered at
any time during the winter for the re.
moval Of any portion of the stored
product without endangering the keep.
ing quality of the material that re.