STORING VEGETABLES 69 



satisfactorily met only by the use of some plan of 

 storage. On the other hand, storage, particularly 

 from a commercial standpoint, has many disadvan- 

 tages, and for this reason many gardeners prefer 

 to sell outright when the crop is ready for harvest- 

 ing. Storage involves much extra handling, which 

 rapidly increases the cost of production and market- 

 ing, and correspondingly high prices must be 

 secured in order to offset this expense. Much short- 

 age, both in weight and volume, will always occur, 

 more with some kinds of crops than others. The qual- 

 ity of most stored vegetables likewise depreciates more 

 or less rapidly, although in some cases this is not suf- 

 ficient to be of serious consequence. Risk of loss 

 is always present, and is, perhaps, one of the most 

 important factors to be kept in mind in determining 

 the probable advantages or disadvantages of storing. 

 A storage for vegetables requires proper amounts 

 of moisture, the right temperatures and thorough 

 aeration. Some vegetables, such as the sweet 

 potato and the onion, require cool, but extremely 

 dry conditions for the best results, while celery 

 requires a comparatively moist atmosphere with low 

 temperatures. Potatoes require medium degrees of 

 moisture and temperature. Greater variations in 

 moisture are necessary than in temperature. From 

 34 to 40 degrees will usually be found the best tem- 

 perature at which to keep most vegetables. Special 

 attention should be given to proper aeration of the 

 storages. Certain plant processes are continuously 

 going on, even in storage, resulting in the setting 

 free of carbonic acid gas, which, if confined closely 

 about the plants, quickly encourages rot and decay. 

 Vegetables to be stored for any length of time 

 should be harvested with this point in mind. In 



