140 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



allows ventilation. When the severe weather of winter is at 

 hand the roof and the sides, if there are any above ground, are 

 banked up and covered with meadow hay, straw or horse 

 manure to prevent freezing. If vegetables are to be kept well 

 into the spring the pit should be opened on cool spring nights 

 and closed and covered during the daytime, so that the temper- 

 ature may remain low. One difficulty with a pit on level 

 ground lies in the matter of drainage. Where the drainage is 

 not good it may be better to stack the vegetables on the surface 

 of the ground and cover them. 



Surface Storage. 



The writer has had excellent success in storing potatoes and 

 other vegetables in the open. If the ground is fairly dry 

 potatoes may be piled in a conical heap directly on the ground 

 itself, or on pine needles, or straw if there is danger of too much 

 moisture. The conditions requisite to success are, first, dense 

 shade, such as that of evergreen trees or buildings; second, pro- 

 tection from severe north winds during cold weather; third, 

 proper covering; fourth, protection from rats, mice and squirrels. 

 There is little danger from these rodents, however, after the 

 ground freezes. The pile should be made in cold weather and 

 should be covered at least a foot deep with straw, meadow hay 

 or seaweed. This may be held in place with a few boards and 

 allowed to stand as long as the vegetables are safe from frost. 

 It should then be covered with a layer of earth, and a wisp of 

 the roughage may be allowed to project through the top for 

 ventilation. This process should be continued until three layers 

 of straw and earth have been placed on the pile. This seems 

 to be sufficient protection to keep garden vegetables in Massa- 

 chusetts. 



Special Care of Certain Products. 



Some fruits or vegetables will keep better under special treat- 

 ment; others will keep very well until the latter part of the 

 winter, when they require particular care. Some need more 

 moisture than others, and some, like squashes, require a higher 

 temperature. For these reasons special instructions are needed 

 for such products. 



