Home Storage of Vegetables 347 



had cheaper in autumn when bought in bulk. Proper 

 storage in a cool room or in pits will keep these in ex- 

 cellent condition. It pays the gardener to raise crops 

 for storage and to provide simple means of storage, not 

 only for the surplus of the crops he raises, but for such 

 staple vegetables as he does not raise but can buy to 

 advantage in bulk during early autumn. 



Questions 



In what two ways does the garden serve the table? Why 

 are crops maturing in summer subject to waste? How can such 

 waste be avoided? Give five principal rules applying to the 

 storage of vegetables. 



Why is a cellar containing a furnace unsuited to the storage of 

 most vegetables ? How can a cool storage room be made in a 

 cellar? What vegetables may be stored in such a room? What 

 vegetables do not keep well in such a room, and where may they 

 be stored ? 



How is a barrel storage pit made and used ? How are earthen 

 storage pits made? What is their disadvantage? How may 

 cabbage be stored in banks of earth ? What vegetables may be 

 stored in pens and how are such pens made ? How may hotbeds 

 and cold frames be used for storage? 



In what ways is storage for winter use profitable ? 



Things to Do and Observe 



To observe how the various vegetables "keep" under the conditions 

 of storage which you give them. Watch carefully the vegetables 

 you have stored, and if potatoes, carrots, and beets soon shrivel, 

 try to determine the cause, and then take measures to remedy this 

 defect in your storage system or conditions. If the vegetables 

 start to grow, find whether this is caused by too high a temperature 

 or too much light. If they rot to any great extent, try to deter- 

 mine whether they need better ventilation or a lower temperature. 

 Be sure to remember just which remedy was the most effective 

 in each case, so that you can provide the best conditions for 

 storage next year. 



