The Busy Woman s Garden Book 



too, may be stored in baskets, barrels or boxes 

 here and will not be injured by light freezing, as 

 it is heat and dry atmosphere that most militate 

 against the successful keeping of winter apples. 



A few other vegetables call for diy, rather 

 warm quarters, like the winter squash, onion, 

 sweet and Irish potato, but good ventilation is 

 indispensable for all. The chief merit of the root- 

 cellar lies in the fact that it can be well ventilated, 

 the windows being opened at times when it would 

 be untenable to open them in rooms devoted to 

 the storage of canned fruit and like perishable 

 things. The windows in the vegetable cellar 

 should not be permanently closed until severe 

 winter weather, though they may be closed dur- 

 ing storms and sharp falls of temperature. I 

 have found that the losses from frost were less in 

 direct proportion to the amount of fresh air ad- 

 mitted and in some mild winters the windows 

 have remained open the entire time, the cover- 

 ing of earth being sufficient to preserve the vege- 

 tables in excellent shape until spring. Even 

 when such things as are usually stored in the 



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