The Storing of Vegetables 



447 



of the packages employed in long-distance shipments are 

 shown in Fig. 238. The crate, splint-basket and barrel 

 types prevail in this kind of commerce. 



2. 



STORING 



It is impossible to state principles that apply to storing 

 all kinds of vegetables, for these products include fruits, 

 roots and leaves. Some of them must 



236. Crate of uniform 

 melons, just twelve 

 grown and sorted to 

 fit the crate. 



237. A neat basket of celery. 



be kept warm and some cool. Others, as onions and 

 squashes, must be dry; still others, as cabbages and roots, 

 must be kept moist. Each class of vegetable is a law 

 unto itself. 



With the exception 'of root and tuber crops, most vege- 

 tables are* uncertain in storage unless kept in an estab- 

 lishment cooled by artificial means, and which, therefore, 

 maintains uniformity of moisture and temperature. In 

 general, it is better to sell in the fall, even at a somewhat 

 reduced price, than to go to the expense and risk of stor- 

 ing. When, however, the fall market is so low as to pre- 

 clude any profit, storing is a necessary recourse. Persons 

 who have become expert in the handling of any one vege- 



