THE EMIGRANT'S HAND-BOOK. 459 



roof of thatch would have answered. In some parts of 

 the country, they are kept during the winter in pits in the 

 ground, where the soil is dry and light, to the depth of 

 three or four feet,lining this with straw, covering them with 

 earth to protect them from the frost, and the whole thatch- 

 ed. Roots, as potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc., should never 

 be divested of the earth adhering to them when taken out 

 of the ground, as it tends to preserve them fresh, the 

 little fibres by which it is retained continuing still to 

 draw some nutriment from it ; and if these are broken, 

 the juices escape through the broken surfaces. They 

 should be wounded as little as possible. 



Where the quantity is not considerable, potatoes may 

 be kept in a cellar under ground, where the temperature is 

 pretty equal and never very low, and covered with straw or 

 mats ; but in spring, they should be frequently examined 

 and turned over ; those which are decayed should be re- 

 moved, and the shoots broken off closely, if any of them 

 have sprouted. 



Carrots and turnips maybe preserved through the win- 

 ter, by taking them up and keeping them in pits, or in a 

 dry cellar in sand, secure from frost. The heads and 

 roots should not be cut off. 



Onions, when pulled up, should be laid thinly on a 

 gravel walk, and turned every day to dry. When thor- 

 oughly dried, they are usually strung together by the 

 tails, and hung up in a dry, well-aired place, till wanted 

 for use. 



Cabbages are, in some places, preserved all winter by 

 burying them in the ground, out of the reach of the 

 frost. 



PRESERVING FRlTITS AND VEGETABLES BY MEANS OF SYRUP. 



A great number of fruits may be preserved, in their 

 natural state, in a fluid transparent syrup of a proper 



