102 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK 



are, as a rule, made on the surface as follows : Piles 

 of topped and unbruised roots (or potatoes) are 

 made on a high, well-drained piece of ground. These 

 piles may be almost any shape or size (but it is 

 wise not to have the piles large enough to heat when 

 covered better make several separate pits when the 

 quantity to be stored is large, or one long pit divided 

 at four-foot intervals with a 

 wall of earth so as to make 

 separate compartments). The 

 accompanying picture shows 

 how to make a pit. On top of 

 the ground comes a shallow 

 layer of straw, then a cone of 



AN OUTDOOR ROOT-PIT 



feet at the base, then a layer of straw about six 

 inches cie<^p \v 1'icn matted down, and, lastly, a layer 

 of soil about a foot in depth shoveled up from 

 arotrnd the pit. In the center of each pit or com- 

 partment, 'is an upright stick to which is tied a wisp 

 of straw arranged as a ventilator. (In very severe 

 climates it may be necessary to put a layer of man- 

 ure on top of the soil layer, or another layer each of 

 straw and soil.) Special remarks: Do not cover 

 the pit all at once. First put on the straw, with a 

 board or two to hold it in place ; this will protect 

 against light frosts. As the weather gets colder, 

 throw on an inch or two of soil adding soil as the 

 winter advances until the pit is fully protected. A 

 house cellar is not a suitable place to store more than 

 a few potatoes (in bins) and a few roots (in sand). 



