no The Horticulturisf s Rule- Book. 



Celery» continued. 



Celery maj^ also be stored and well blanched at the same 

 time, in a similar way, by standing it in a barrel upon a 

 layer of soil. Some roots and soil may be left adhering to 

 the plants. Crowd closely, water through holes near the 

 bottom as in case of box storage, and keep the plants in the 

 dark. 



Blanched celery can also be preserved for a long time by 

 trimming closely and packing upright in moss inside of a 

 box. A large quantity of the vegetable may thus be stored 

 in a small space. 



Onions demand a dry cellar, and the bulbs should be thoroughly 

 dried in the sun before they are stored. All tops should be 

 cut away when the onions are harvested. If a cellar cannot 

 be had, the bulbs may be allowed to freeze, but great care 

 must be exercised or the whole crop will be lost. The 

 onions must not be subjected to extremes of temperature, 

 and they should not thaw out during the winter. They can 

 be stored on the north side of a loft, being covered with two 

 or three feet of straw, hay or chaff to preserve an equable 

 temperature. They must not be handled while frozen, and 

 they must thaw out very gi-adually in the spring. This 

 method of keeping onions is reliable only when the weather 

 is cold and tolerably uniform. 



Roots of all sorts, as beets, carrots, salsify, parsnips, can be 

 kept fi'om wilting by packing them in damp sphagnum moss, 

 like that used by nurserj^men. They may also be packed in 

 sand. It is an erroneous notion that parsnips and salsify 

 are not good until after they are frozen. 



Squashes should be stored in a dry room in which the tempera- 

 ture is uniform and about 50°. Growers for market usually 

 build squash-houses or rooms and heat them. Great care 

 should be taken not to bruise any squashes which are to be 

 stored. Squashes procured from the market have usually 

 been too roughly handled to be reliable for storing. 



Sweet-potatoes. — Ix the North. — Dig the potatoes on a sunny day, 

 and allow them to dry thoroiighly in the field. Sort out the 

 poor ones and handle the remainder carefully. Never allow 

 them to become chilled. Then pack them in barrels in 



