The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1921-11-10
STORING FRUITS
and VEGETABLES
Proper Storage Will Save Much
Loss From Decay of Farm
Produce.
BY J. L. Stahl, Horticultural.


The commercial grower of fruits or
vegetables usually has storage build
| ings or rooms suitable for holding his
crops during winter. The home gar
dener and fruit grower seldom has
specially built storage buildings and
must depend on a cool cellar, large
pantry, or a corner of the wOOdshed
for keeping his winter supply of fruits
and vegetables.
Even with quite crude storage facili.
ties satisfactory results can be Sc.
cured if care is used in selecting the
specimens and maintaining moisture
conditions and ventilation. Both fruits
and vegetables for storage should be
in prime condition. They should be
firm and free from rots or bruises. 1t
does not pay to store culls.
RIOTS and molds are small parasitic
plants which develop readily in moist,
warm, poorly ventilated conditions.
| They usually enter the fruit or. Xege-
table through injured spots or bruises
of the skin.
Fruits most often tsored are apples
boxes or trays where they are pro-
tected from bruising. A rather moist
atmosphere keeps the fruit from shriv-
cling. These fruits keep best in tenn
peratures between 33 and SO degrees
F., but with common storage it is not
possible to maintain exact tempera-
lures Wrapping individual fruits
with paper will keep rots and molds
from spreading rapidly from one fruit
to another.
Storing Vegetables.
Vegetables most commonly stored
are potatoes, onions, beets, carrots,
turnips, parsnips, pumpkins. squash,
horseradish, cabbage and sometimes
celery. Potatoes need moist, COOL we'll
ventilated conditions. For best table
quality they must be kept dark. These
conditions can usually be met in
cool cellar, cave or well built pit. The
cellar or cave is desirable as the ven-
tilation, moisture and temperatures
can be quite well controlled. It is ac-
cessible so that tubers can be sorted
during winter and rotted ones re-
moved to stop further spread of the
disease. While forced air circulation
is not essential the ventilation should
be adequate so that a complete change
of air can be had when necessary to
reduce the temperature. If 1t is too
warm the tubers are apt to sprout,
and if the air is too dry they are apt
to wilt. The atmosphere of Western
Washington is usually moist enough
in winter without additional moisture
needed. Where possible to do so 1t
is best to keep the temperature be-
tween 40 and 33 degrees. Crates or
trays are preferable to sacks or bins
as containers.
Root crops such as beets, carrots
and turnips may be stored under the
same conditions as potatoes except
contact with circulating air.
If cellar or other type of room is
not possible for storage, 1t is better to
pit potatoes and most root crops rath-
err than to leave them in the ground
and trust that they are planted too
deep to be frozen. For pitting, well
drained location is selected. the vege-
tables placed in piles with sides slop-
ing to turn water and covered with a
few inches of straw or dry leaves and
like amount of earth. Over this a
gable roof of rough lumber may be
built.
Parsnips may be pitted as other
roots or may be left in the ground
and dug when needed during winter.
They are not injured and are usually