EVERGREEN AND ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS FOR THE PRAIRIES. 375 



crease in beauty year after year. By all means have a bed of 

 Peonies and one or two of Phloxes, a few high Lilies, Corn Lilies, 

 Irises, Larkspur, Columbines and Asters. 



And to sum it all up, beautify your home. You will never be 

 sorry for it, and I know you South Dakota people can do it, for the 

 prettiest farm home that I know of in my neighborhood is located 

 in South Dakota. 



CELLAR STORAGE OF ORCHARD FRUITS. 



H. W. SHUMAN, EXCELSIOR. 



The most important thing of all in growing orchard fruits is 

 how to harvest and store them for winter use. I first started to 

 put my apples in the cellar, packing them in bushel boxes and bar- 

 rels ; then I experimented by wrapping them in paper and putting 

 them in dry sifted ashes, but the atmoshere was too dry, and the 

 apples would wilt. Then I built a root cellar on an east slope. 



This cellar is a very crude affair made in a hurry, but it has 

 given excellent results, almost as satisfactory as a cold storage plant. 

 It is fourteen feet long, nine feet wide, and five feet high, with a 

 ridge pole through the center and poles, closely placed together, ex- 

 tending from this to the sides of the walls, which form a basis for 

 the roof. A thin covering of hay or straw with about a foot of earth 

 is put on that, and then a load or two of hay is spread on top of the 

 earth every fall to keep the rain out. The doors are double and 

 made tight, and the last and most important thing of all is the stove 

 pipe which regulates the circulation and moisture in the cellar. 



The fruit that I store is mostly fall and winter varieties of ap- 

 ples, and I also have room for apple roots and grafts, vegetables and 

 celery for home use. The apples in my root cellar are the Wealthy, 

 Malinda, Ostrekoff, Ben Davis, Brilliant and a few other varieties. 

 With these apples our table is supplied until June and a great deal 

 longer if the stock holds out. I stored forty boxes of Wealthys 

 last year in the cellar and took out the last box in April, and it was 

 in fine condition. What were these apples selling for last winter 

 or apples like them ? Thirty cents per dozen. Think of it ! What 

 are they selling for today at the grocery store? Seventy-five cents 

 per peck. I am glad I have a small supply on hand. 



Now in gathering my fruit for storage I find there is a big 

 difference in the time of gathering and that the seasons are differ- 



