776 DR. CHASE'S EECIPE3. 



feet thick on a barn floor before putting up for the next season's use, or before 

 shipping on sea voyages. The same with sweet potatoes before putting into the 

 sulphured sand. I have not a doubt, either, but what with a little extra care 

 in packing and getting the sand well among them, and covering the boxes 

 nicely, grapes may be kept in the same way for spring use. In our northern 

 country, what he calls a " cool place," must not be such as to freeze in winter. 

 Still, 



2. The True Secret of Keeping Fruit over winter is, to keep it as 

 near the freezing point as possible, not to freeze; say at 34° or 35°, which is 2 

 or 3 above freezing. But a few degrees above this, never above 50°, and 

 always below 40°, is better; but to do this ice house arrangements must be made 

 to suit one's conveniences, and amounts to be put up ; the best plans for which 

 all are now supposed to understand. With ice-houses the sand packing is not 

 necessary; and for small amounts the " poor woman's", plan, next below, will 

 be all suflScient. 



3. Keeping Sweet Potatoes over Winter in the Living Room. 

 — "A poor woman," says one of the editors of a northern paper, " just told us 

 how she keeps her sw^eet potatoes over winter, as follows : When dug and 

 properly dry for packing, she obtains dry sand, with which the bottoms of 

 kegs or boxes are covered. Then a layer of sweet potatoes is put in, not 

 touching each other ; then sand, and so on. They are kept in the living room, 

 raised two inches from the floor." 



Remarks. — The only secrets seem to be dry sand and raising the boxes 

 from the floor by means of strips of plank, to allow air under, as well as 

 around them. Then, why not in any room or cellar that does not freeze ? 

 They will do as well, at the same time being more out of the wsy. There is 

 not a doubt, however, that the sulphur heated among the sand, in drying as 

 above, is a very valuable addition. 



4. Sweet Potatoes. How to Grow and to Keep.— It has been 

 considered heretofore that sweet potatoes could only be grown upon sandy 

 soil and in ridges ; but the 0?iio Fanner informs its readers that they have 

 grown 160 bushels to the acre of good, merchantable sweet potatoes upon thin 

 clay soil, by a shallow cultivation, applying only ten good two-horse loads of 

 manure, worked in with a cultivator after the shallow ploughing, and then 

 planting in hills made on the ridges — the ridges three feel apart and the hills 

 three feet from each other. He cultivated several times after plowing before 

 planting, and made the hills high, so as to brush off three or four inches at- 

 the planting, to set the plants in fresh earth — only one olant to each hill. The 

 hills are made small, to allow the sun to keep the hill warmer than if made large, 

 and the shallow cultivation is to keep the potatoes nearer the surface than if 

 ploughed deep. The idea of only one plant in a hill is to obtain larger pota- 

 toes than if two or more were allowed, on the same principle that not more 

 than two stalks should be allowed to stand in ahiU of common or " Irish" 

 potatoes, as recommended below 



