EOOT CROPS 



ROOT CROPS 



553 



or six crates wide, and as high as the crates can be 

 conveniently placed in the room. If stored in sacks, 

 the tiers are about three to five sacks wide and 

 sometimes ten sacks high. This arrangement pro- 

 vides an alley-way between the different lines of 

 stored material, whether in sacks or in crates. 



In the case of onions, false shelving or racks are 

 sometimes provided, which are about six or eight 

 feet wide, on which the onions are very carefully 

 spread, eight to fifteen inches deep, there being 

 sufficient space above the onions to admit of inspec- 

 tion ; but the usual practice is to replace the 

 shelving by bushel crates, which are universally 

 used for gathering such products. The crated 

 onions are then stored, in perfectly insulated build- 

 ings constructed as above described. 



The capacity of such storage houses varies from 

 a few hundred to fifty thousand bushels. The prac- 

 tice in some regions where onions are carried over 

 for seed purposes is to spread the bulbs on slat 

 racks in open buildings where they are allowed to 

 freeze at the beginning of winter and remain frozen 

 throughout the whole storage period. Under these 

 circumstances it is very important that the bulbs 

 be protected from all possible injury ; even the jar- 

 ring of the building must be guarded against, other- 

 wise the bulbs will rot at the approach of warm 

 weather in the spring. It is evident, from the nature 

 of the case, that this system can be followed only 

 in regions where the winters are rigorous. 



In the storage of Irish potatoes and onions, it is 

 desirable that the products be in contact with the 

 earth if practicable. The moisture of the earth 

 seems to have a beneficial influence on the quality 

 of the product, if it is to remain in storage for a 

 considerable period. Onion bins and crates, when 

 placed directly on the earth, are less liable to jars 

 and disturbances, which cause loss in the stored 

 bulbs, than when made a part of the superstructure. 



Storage houses for sweet-potatoes and onions 

 must be provided with flues and ventilating arrange- 

 ments to remove the moisture and to keep the tem- 



as to give sufficient head room for storing and car- 

 ing for the crop. Buildings of this description are 

 usually about twelve or fourteen feet wide, and 

 provided with side walls two or three feet high, 

 which are fairly well insulated to protect the plants 



Fig. 788. Root cellar. The spruce trees serve to catch the snow so that it will, 

 drift on the roof. 



perature within the limit of safety. In some cases 

 this involves heating facilities as well as ventilating 

 and cooling apparatus. 



Celery pits. — The storage houses or pits for celery 

 are very different in construction and usually con- 

 sist of a half-cellar arrangement. A well-drained 

 location is chosen, preferably on soil which is of a 

 sandy character. The buildings are so constructed 



Fig. 789. Concrete hotbeds and masonry root cellar. 

 Side view of cellar shown in Fig. 788. 



next to the outside, either by banking at the out- 

 side or by the style of construction above described. 

 The roof is then made of boards, usually those used 

 for blanching the early crop of celery in the field. 

 In cases where more permanent structures are de- 

 sired, the houses may be constructed of concrete 

 and provided with shingle or slate roofs. Sufficient 

 ventilating fines must be provided to govern the 

 temperature inside the pit ; windows are also nec- 

 essary to provide light for those who water and 

 care for the crop during the storage period. 



Example of a general-purpose root cellar. 



In Figs. 788 and 789 are shown a front and side 

 view of a well-constructed and very serviceable root 

 cellar at the Farm and Trades School, Boston, Mass. 

 The cellar faces south. The walls are of solid 

 masonry two feet thick, and extending two feet 

 below the level of the earth fioor. The front and 

 top only are exposed, 

 the earth bank sloping 

 away from the two 

 sides and the rear. The 

 front wall extends be- 

 yond the side walls to 

 retain the earth. 



The roof is of two- 

 inch matched spruce, 

 tarred and covered with 

 three-ply roofing- 

 paper. The ceiling is 

 sheathed, 1 e a vi n g a 

 dead-air space. The 

 rafters are 2 x 8 spruce, 

 and the collar-beams the same. Entrance is through 

 an outer and an inner door, each four by seven feet, 

 set in the center of the front wall. There are four 

 automatic ventilators in the roof, also one over the 

 door and one in each door, all regulated from the 

 inside. On the south side of the interior is a brick 

 wall, extending from end to end, six feet from the 

 side wall and three feet high. From the top of this 



