The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-12-07
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)

etables. They are particularly deSir-
able on the farm, as they afford con-
venient and inexpensive storage facili-
ties for surplus vegetable crops that
otherwise might be lost They possess
all the advantages of the storage
room in the basement and are superior
in many respects. The outdoor storage
cellar can be maintained at uniform
temperature over a long period. 1t is
possible to keep the cellar cool and
quickly to reduce the temperature of
the stored product to the desired point
for safe storage by opening the door
during the night and closing it in the
morning before the air becomes warm.
All ventilatOrs should likewise be kept
tightly closed until the outside air is
again cooler than that within the Gel
lar, when they should be opened, I'M
less the outside temperature is so low
as to be dangerous. This safeguards
the product and adds to the efficiency
of the storage chamber. Vegetables
can be more conveniently placed in
such q cellar than IN the storage room
in the basement of a dwelling.
When the chief use of the outdoor
storage cellar is for storing turnips,
beets, carrots and other root crops
commonly used as stock food it should
be located near the stable, where the
material will be convenient for winter
feeding. When it Is to be used for
vegetables for the table the cellar
should be accessible from the kitchen
at all times. If apples or other fruits
ore to be stored in an outdoor storage
cellar 1t is desirable to have a two
compartment cellar, one for vegetables
and one for apples, with ventilating
apparatus in each compartment.
Construction Of Cellar.
AS the root cellar must be weather
proof-that is, capable of being kept
free from moisture and free from
frost-its type and construction vary
with the geographical location. In the
southern portion Of the country the
structure is usually entirely above
ground and protected by only few
inches of sod and with straw, leaves.
etc. In northern sections outdoor stor-
age cellars are made almost entirely
below ground and covered with foot
or two of earth.
Storage In Regions Of Mild Winters.
An above-ground storage cellar suit
ed to conditions in southern sections
Of the United States may be built on
well-drained site at slight expense.
A row Of posts may be set five or six
feet apart, extending seven or eight
feet above the surface of the ground,
with a ridgepole placed on top of them.
Against each side Of the ridgepOle
row of planks or puncheons is placed,
with their opposite ends resting in a
shallow trench four or five feet from
the line of posts. The ends are board
ed up, door being provided in one
end of the structure, and the roof COW
cred with sod to g depth of five or six
inches.
Storage in Region of Severe Freezes.
In sections where low temperatures
prevail it is necessary to insulate the
storage house so that the vegetables
will not freeze. An above ground type
of storage house much used in many
sections of the North has thick walls
filed with insulating material, such as
s;lwdust or shavings. The cOnstruc-
ton is of frame and the walls are usu-
ally ten to twelve inches thick. Both
the inside and the outside walls are
sheathed with matched lumber so as
to make them alright. The rafters
are ceiled on the under side with the
same material and the space between
the rafters filled with dry insulating
material. The use of building paper
in the roof and walls of the storage
house is of great assistance in insulat-
ing 1t.
A type Of storage cellar much used
In northern sections of the country is
built partly underground. The walls
are of masonry and extend to point
just above the surface of the ground.
On these walls plates ere set and a
roof of frame construction erected.
The roof structure is ceiled on the
underside Of the rafters and some
suitable ii -sulatins material, such as
Cry, esawdIst. or shavings, packed in
the space between ->e rafters, and
then the sheathing, Paper and roofing
material are applied as in the case of
the above-grOund type of storage cell
lar described in the previous para
graph. This type of structure is pref
cradle in many respects to the above
ground type, as it is easier to main
tnin the temperature at the proper
point and its insulation is a compare
lively easy matter.
Protection From Freezing.
Protection from freezing may be Sc
cured with simpler type of structure
by making it entirely underground. y
order to avoid steps down to the :evs,l
Uf the floor. with the consequent extrs
labor in storing and removing the veg