The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-10-02


ment of Agriculture.)
When the United States department
of agriculture, through the weather
bureau, tells you that frost is coming,
get the garden crops under cover. Lis
ten to the warning of the weather bu-
reau-but heed, also the admonition of
the horticultural experts of the de
partment and put the tomatoes under
cover where they will be kept at a
temperature of about so degrees to so
degrees to ripen. Tomatoes are late
bearers, and as a rule many are still
green or only partly ripe when frost
comes.
The best way is to pull up the vines
with the green tomatoes on them and
hang them in the cellar or other shell
tered place or pick the tomatoes and
place them in a sash-covered cold
frame, and cover them with straw or
leaves, to ripen. Even tomatoes that
appear to be perfectly green will, if of
good size and the seed mature, ripen
sufficiently for use as fresh tomatoes.
Better Quality of Tomatoes.
The quality of the tomatoes will
probably be better if they are left on
the vines and they will continue in
disable condition for a much longer
time, but they may be ripened success
fully by plucking them from the vines
and placing them in a single layer on
a shelf in the cellar. This may be the
better plan for some backyard garden
ers who have not sufficient space to
hang up the vines.
The late corn patch, also, is likely to
have week or ten days of table serv-
ice in it when the frost warning comes.
1t is not necessary to lose the green
corn. Pluck the ears, leaving the
husks on, and place them on the cellar
floor with no two ears touching. The
corn will remain in good condition for
ten days or longer. Even if you have
no cellar or other place where the ears
can be spread, it is not necessary to
lose the corn. Cut the stalks, leaving
the ears on, and shock them in the
garden. The corn will probably not
remain in good condition so long as
if properly stored on the cellar floor
and it becomes toughened, but the sea
son for using it can be extended sew
eral days.
Cover Beans and Peas.
There may be beans and peas not
quite fully matured. If you have space
in which to keep them under cover,
pull up the vines by the roots, hang
them up and let the pods dry out.
Then shell the beans or peas, put them
in bags, hang in a well-ventilated dry
place, and keep them for winter use.
This, Of course, cannot be done if the
beans or peas are too immature. Can
ming is the only means of saving them
under that condition. The curing on
the vine method, however, is the best
plan for curing navy and other bush
beans even when they are fully ma
ture.
Care for Other Vegetables.
The cellar, If there is one, otherwise
pit in the garden, may be made to
care for most of the other vegetables
well into, If not through, the winter
Onions that are mature and thorough
ly dried may be kept in the attic or
in any dry, well-ventilated place where
they will not freeze. A pit in the gar
den may be made to serve as a stor-
age for potatoes, late beets, carrots,
turnips, late cabbage, celery, and sal
sify. If there is no cellar available
the earth mound in the garden can be
made to serve admirably, saving a
lot of money by keeping certain of
the late garden vegetables for winter
eating.
All that is necessary in making a
vegetable storage pit is to place some
straw, hay, dry grass, or fodder on
the ground, place the vegetables on
it in confcal pile, cover them with the
same material used at the bottom, and
then cover with two or three inches
Of earth. The hay, or whatever ma
terial is used, should be allowed TO
extend through the dirt at the apex
of the cone, thus providing the neces-
Sary ventilation to keep the yegeta-