344 Gardening 



Earthen storage pits. These are simply piles of 

 vegetables covered with straw or leaves and soil. Venti- 



FIG. 186. Cross-section of an earthen storage pit. (Adapted from drawing 

 in Farmer's Bulletin 936, U. S. D. A.) 



lation is provided by allowing a large bunch of straw to 

 extend up through the covering of earth at the center 

 of the pit. A board or flat stone is laid over this to shed 

 the water. Vegetables keep well when thus stored, but 

 they are not easily removed unless the entire pit is 

 emptied. Several small pits with different sorts of 

 vegetables in each may be built and emptied one at a 

 time during the winter as the contents are needed. 



Storage in banks of earth. If located on a well- 

 drained site, a bank of earth is excellent for the storage 

 of cabbage. The plants are pulled out by the roots and 

 laid, heads down, in rows of two or three abreast. Then 

 a layer of leaves or straw is placed about the heads, and 

 over this a layer of earth a few inches thick is banked up, 

 leaving the roots and part of the stems exposed to the air. 

 As colder weather approaches, more earth may be added ; 

 or leaves, straw, or cornstalks may be piled over the 

 bank. Unless the soil freezes very solidly, the cabbages 

 are easily removed one at a time as they are wanted. 



