342 Gardening 
The cellar without a furnace, or the cool room in a 
cellar containing a furnace, is undoubtedly the most 
satisfactory means of storing vegetables for home con- 
sumption. A dirt floor helps to keep the air moist, 
but if the floor is made of cement, it may be covered 
with 2 or more inches of sand and sprinkled occasion- 
ally. 
Vegetables that must be stored in dry air. Squashes, 
pumpkins, and sweet potatoes keep best when stored in a 
warm, dry place. They may be placed on shelves or in 
crates near the furnace. Onions need a cool, dry place. 
The cool room is usually too damp for them, and a cellar 
with a furnace in it is likely to be too warm. They do 
not suffer from slight freezing and usually keep best in 
the attic, or even in a barn or workshop. 
Outdoor storage cellars. Simple one-room cellars 
built so that they are dry and free from frost are often 
made out-of-doors. In the South they are usually built 
entirely above ground; in the North they are generally 
built partly or wholly below ground. They may be 
made like a cave in a side hill. Walls of stonework or 
concrete are desirable. The roof may be made of con- 
crete, with a dirt covering; or of lumber, double walled 
and insulated with paper; or of poles and planks covered 
with earth and straw. Outdoor cellars are, of course, 
most suitable on farms and large truck gardens where 
there are often considerable. amounts of vegetables to be 
stored. 
A barrel storage pit. The simplest and perhaps the 
best outdoor storage place for the owner of a small home 
garden is the barrel pit. To make this, a barrel is placed 
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