A WINTER GARDEN IN THE CELLAR. 381 



not growing a leaf you get twice as much stalk. It is very fine 

 to have in winter, and it sells for around twenty cents a pound. 



A Member : If you are talking about twenty cents a pound 

 you are not selling on this market. 



Mr. Rasmussen: I am talking about the retail price. Re- 

 member the dealer must have nearly half in order to live ; it de- 

 preciates in weight very fast. There is not much sale at that 

 time of the year, and he must have a big margin. If the dealer 

 is paying eight cents and getting fifteen he is not making too 

 much. 



Mr. Smith : How long does it take to grow that? 



Mr. Rasmussen : It depends on the heat in your cellar. I 

 should judge about five weeks. 



Mr. Richardson: How would it do without a furnace? 



Mr. Rasmussen: It doesn't make any difference, it will 

 grow as long as it isn't freezing, in other words, over forty de- 

 grees. I have grown some at thirty-five, but it should be from 

 forty to sixty degrees. 



Mr. Brown: How about the water? 



Mr. Rasmussen : It wants to be kept moist. 



Mr. Richardson : Will they do well at seventy ? 



Mr. Rasmussen : That is a little warm. I don't think any 

 basement will be that warm. If you get near a door even in a 

 furnace-heated cellar I don't think it will get above sixty. I 

 think it would be too warm, and it would dry out too fast. Aspar- 

 agus can be grown in the same way. Green onions packed in a 

 shallow box as close as you can get them, covered with sawdust, 

 if they have light will have a finer flavor than if grown outside. 

 You can also grow beet greens. Onions and beets must have light, 

 and rhubarb and asparagus must be kept dark. 



A Member: They must have more heat? 



Mr. Rasmussen : Not necessarily ; you can hurry them along 

 if it is very warm. You know an onion on a cold cellar floor will 

 sprout and grow. 



A Member: Will the asparagus store its food in the field? 



Mr. Rasmussen: It stores up all its food the year before. 

 The asparagus never stores any food until one stalk is grown up, 

 a branch opens up a little bit of a leaf, then it starts to store food. 

 This is why we should never cut it too young in order to have it 

 store up food for the next year. 



A Member : Does the rhubarb have to freeze ? 



Mr. Rasmussen : We always let it freeze. 



A Member: Do you wet the mulch first and then pack it? 



Mr. Rasmussen : We never do ; we pack it first and wet it 

 afterwards, but we keep it damp all the time. 



Mr. Roberts : What kind of onions would you use ? Would 

 you use the little sets? 



Mr. Rasmussen : You may, but I prefer a good sized onion 

 for that purpose, I think it does better. 



A Member: Small onions? 



