Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-20
STORING PRODUCTS
FOR WINTER SEASON
Government Officials Issue Some
Timely Advice to Food
Growers.
PUT VEGETABLES IN CELLARS
Care Must Be Exercised in
Event Heater Is Lo-
Gated Near.
PUT VEGETABLES IN CELLARS

lpi storage ana planned accordingly?
asks bulletin OF the National War
Garden Commission OF Washington.
You have gone over the top for a
scots and diseases and nave n reward
| in crops TO feed yourself and family
for some months to come.
IT is time now to plan for sorting
certain crops for winter use. How. are
g,da going :s to do this in house cellars
or where pits ers ars cold
satisfactory ways OF storing the vari-
GUS crops, it is only matter of plan
| ming TO meet your needs.
The home cellar s'a good place in
| which TO store vegetables providing it
! meets the necessary requirements OF
| drainage.
| A weil-draincd. wel,-ventilated. un-
dom from freezing temperature, is just
about ideal for the storage OF vesn-
tables. You can control tho ten,psra-
ture by opening the windows at night
or when the outside air is MT Srcrzinss
cold. and closing them when it wmrnls
| up. Try to keep it about 40 degrees +.
about enough moisture to keep the
vegetables from drying out. Ii there
sprinkle the floor with water as neees-
crisp 1t is good plan to spread an
! inch or two Of sand or earth on the
| floor and sprinkle with water OCCASION
| ally.
In the cellar vegetables are most con-
Nenently stored in boxes or barrels.
These should be placed on strips OF
| wood or other supports to raise them
off the floor to allow air to circulate
beneath them. They should also be
| air may move back of them. Shelves
| may he built to support the boxes, ic
desired. Built-in boxes are often used.
! but they are NOT SO handy to work nor
| so easily cleaned as boxes.
| Keep. the vegetables in the dark by
| darkenins the windows or by cover
/ ing with paper or other material.
IN HEATED CELLAR
Every cellar with any kind OF house
heating plant in it is usually too warm
and dry for vegetables. The thing to
do in such cellar is to partition or
| small room-corner room prefcra bly,
or root cellar.
The partition is easily built with
tom, to which the boards are nailed,
enough: 4 fairly good, partition may
over the boards with tongue.and-
groove material over this.
however. is more of a job OBJ Use P;e't .t sxi
scantling for plate on the floor and
set studding from plate TO ceiling.
boards on the outside. cover with build
ing paper and nail tongue-and- groove
and ne the ON the inside
in door wide enough TO take ia 4
barrel Tor conVenience in getting vege.
tables in and out.
| PROPER VENTILATION
eAls HIGHLY IMPORTANT
Your storage room, Will requiYe
special means of ventilation or venS.la-
/ II there is Il window in the cellar wall,
Il not, one should be made. Make a
n t,ne o Of two length of stovepipe and
the lowest window lights fit the elbow
OF the window light space and let the
long end extend nearly 10 the floor
Equip this with damper or other
OF cold Slr when desired. Close up
the window light space around the Aue
With a thin board cloth. burlnp, paper
| or other material. Now ut point In
the window higher up than the upper
end OF the nue. remove part or ali OF
| ing this opening when necessary This
is the outlet for warm air.
coIG hShm en-. me 9a.sihe air is not freezing
air, open the outlet for warm air and
the dampcr In the intake nue and the
cold air will drop down the nue thus
| forcing the warm air out OF the OPEN
| ms. In this way circulation is estab-
lish,ed and the storage room is kept
| cold. In freezing weather keep all
openings closed except as necessary to
hold the room temperature about 40
and the Vegetables begin to shriv vei
sprinkle water on the floor as required
IN THE ABSENCE OF TX
GOOD STORAGE CELLAR
In the absence OF n good storage cell
lar the best means of storing vege
tables is the barrel or box pit. This
is so easily built and is so convenient
| instantly commend itself to the home
gardener, but in the very cold sertions
OF the country it may not be profitable
any kind.
TO n9ke barrel pc. level off a
spread straw, hay. or leaves several
inches deep over it. Lay the barrel
on this after taking out one head Fit
the open end OF the barrel in such a
way that Il is tight. bur can BIO easily
removed rem tnr T Whsn the pit is opsned in tho
carrots turnips, potatoes or other root
crop to be stored. Fasten on the cover
or straw over the barrel except the
front end, snd cover with several
inches inches Of earth; Then fiji in over the
weather grows colder add more earth
as required and then cover this with
you wish to open the pit just move tho
earth and straw away from the front
end Of the barrel remove the cover
desired: Then replace the cover and
projecting material. -.
This kind OF pit has the advantage
OF being very easy and convenient 10
open and close at any time and viii
hold nearly three bushels OF root crops
~ box may be used In this kind OF n
pit instead of barrel If desired. 4
long box is the best shape Take out
one end and handle the same as n
so that water does not soak into rho
nit Just dig n trench around the base
Of the pit 20 conduct on the water
VEGETABLE PIT MADE
our IN OPEN Am
Several small pits are better than ono
large PIT Tor the home storing OF vege- !
tables In the coolest sections OF the
country, however, pits are not recon- Z
mended because they cannot be made .
frost proof 'e
Make pits holding about a bushei and
include an assortment OF vegetables in Y
each one so that a complete supply for
a, few weeks may be taken cut at one
time II Is somewhat troublesone 10 p
open and close n large pit to secure y
an occasional supply OF vsEetabics,
/ CONTINUED on Third Pager