The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-09-20

Natural storage of late vegetables in
the home for use in fall and winter
a practice which is advisable every sea-
son--is especially desirable now that the
country is at war, says the United States
department of agriculture Natural ster-
age is the least troublesome way of
keeping food for future use, 1t is point
ed out, and may be practiced with little
expense in most homes, either in the
country or in the city. Such storage
IS of chief value to owners of home
gardens, but when vegetables suitable
for storage may be purchased cheaply
it may be practiced profitably by some
other householders.
The principal vegetables which may be
stored successfully are the root, tuber
and bulb crors. such as late maturing
potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, sal
sfy onions, etc. Certain leaf and stalk
crops such as cabbage and celery, and
a few other products such as squashes
pumpkins, ETC., also may be stored nat
ura1ly
Natural storage of most vegetables that
may be kept may be in cellar under
a dwelling, or under an outbuilding, in
a special outdoor cellar, or in banks
OF pits. A few products such as pump
kins and winter squash, requiring dry,
fairly warm storage, may be kept in I'M
ucts may be kept in attics
IF cellar under a dwelling or out
building is clean, cool and well venti-
lated it may be used for storage with
out alteration. Many cellars, however,
are not well suited for storing yege-
tables because of poor insulation or lack
OF ventilation and those containing
furnace for heating usually are too warm
and dry. Tt is often possible to parti-
ton off a room either in one corner or
at one end of such a cellar, where the
temperature may be controlled by means
of outside windows.
Outdoor storage cellars possess all the
advantages of the storage room in the
basement and are superior in many re-
spects. 1t is possible to keep such
cellar cool and quickly reduce the tenn
perature of the stored products by open
ing the door during the night and closing
1t in the morning before the air be-
comes warm. In regions of mild winters
the outdoor cellars may be constructed
almost entirely above ground of wood
or other available materials. Straw or
dirt may be thrown upon the roof as
insulation during especially cold periods.
In regions of severe freezing the most
popular type of storage cellar is built
largely underground, and the roof has
deep covering of straw and earth, ma
nUre etc. Such cellars may be construct
cd of wood, concrete, stone or brick.
Storage in outdoor banks or pits is the
most primitive and least expensive meth
Cd Of keeping many vegetables and is
fairly satisfactory where the ground is
well drained. This method does not
compare in convenience, however, with
storage in cellars since in periods of bad
wea Their the vegetables are often ac-
cessible with difficulty. The construc-
ton of banks is begun by making an
excavation six or eight inches deep in a
wel1-drained location and lining it with
straw, leaves or similar material. The
vegetables casually root crops are
placed on this litter in conical pile.
The s.ides and top are then covered with
straw and leaves and this with two or
three inches of earth AS winter ap-
proaches the earth covering should be
increased, depending on the severity OF
the winters in the locality. Small pits
containing but a few bushels of vege-
tables will receive sufficient ventilation
IL the stray between the vegetables and
the earth covering is allowed to extend
through the latter to the top of the
pile. II is exposed straw should be COW
cred with a board or a piece of tin held
in place by stone as a protection from
rain. In larger pits ventilation may be
secured by placing two or three pieces
of rough boards or stakes up through
the center of the pile of vegetables sc
that fue is formed This flue should
be capped by an inverted trough formed
by two pieces of board nailed together
at right angles Where such banks
are used the best practice Is to con
struct number of small ones so thai
sufficient quantity of vegetables tt