70 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



September, 1911 



Amateur Cold Storage 



THE Southern grown "fresh ripe" tomatoes 

 of our markets after midwinter are picked 

 green, wrapped each in a large piece of unglazed 

 paper, laid carefully in splint carriers in , crates, 

 shipped green, and kept by wholesaler or retail 

 marketman to turn "ripe" for sale. These 

 vegetables are wholesome, attractive looking, and 

 in taste range from fair to good. They do not, 

 however, commonly appear in markets before 

 the end of January. 



For three seasons I have experimented with 

 storing garden-grown tomatoes in an ordinary 

 cool cellar for winter use. I take large perfectly 

 green tomatoes (few-seeded, like Stone or 

 Ponderosa for choice), from the vine, wipe 

 well, and wrap each in a piece of newspaper 

 12x40 in. folding in ends to exclude air and to 

 cushion the fruit. When the tomatoes are wrapped 

 I lay them closely on the shelves of a wall closet 

 in the cellar, or in an old strawberry crate or two. 

 Crate and shelves are cushioned and lined 

 with folded newspaper. For long keeping, it is 

 not desirable that a second layer be piled on the 

 first; though if the tomatoes were being prepared 

 for the Thanksgiving market, say, by an enter- 

 prising farmer or farmer's wife, they might lie 

 three or four deep on the shelves without loss by 



bruising. In storing several bushels, slightly 

 better results were obtained from the shelves where 

 the green fruit was wiped with cloths wrung out 

 of very weak boracic acid water than from shelves 

 of fruit wiped dry or not wiped at all. Paraffin on 

 the stem scar is occasionally recommended, but 

 I have this year lost every tomato paraffined and 

 almost none of the wiped-and-wrapped; so that 

 I am able to testify that paraffin does not "keep 

 out the germs." Perhaps I should say that no 

 frost bitten, bruised, or pricked tomato is worth 

 storing, and no tomato that has grown or been 

 laid touching cheeks with another which has 

 "black rot." 



When the wrapped fruit is spread, cover the 

 whole with newspapers and leave in darkness; but 

 the crates or boxes, if such are used, should be 

 raised high above the cellar floor. The floors and 

 all the dust of an ordinary cellar (where cider, 

 vinegar, apples, potatoes, earth-boxes of beets or 

 carrots or chard, old flower pots, old barrels, pickle- 

 crocks, spare baskets and measures, all spend the 

 winter together in musty sleep) is full of mold- 

 seeds and ferment seeds. By implication, then, it is 

 good sense to keep the fruit in a closed cupboard 

 out of drafts; to unwrap the ripening fruit very 

 rarely and only when some ripe specimens are 

 needed above stairs; and finally to come to the 

 unwrapping with clean hands, and to touch always 

 the paper rather than each fruit as the search goes 

 on and green tomatoes are put back in place. 



For the reasons outlined above concerning 

 cellar storage of tomatoes in an ordinary dwelling 

 house, both apples and Hubbard squashes keep 

 longer and better when well wrapped. Large 

 paper bags tied outside the stem end of a squash 

 will greatly lengthen the keeping-term of the 

 vegetable; but the squash should be well washed 

 and dried first, and then stored on a table or board 

 so that the dampness of cement or earthen floor 

 shall not rot the paper underside, tear the bags, 

 and break quarantine. Winter and spring varieties 

 of apples should be wrapped in good strips of news- 

 paper or unglazed paper, at least 12 x40m. and 

 packed in boxes or barrels. With King or Northern 

 Spy the loss by decay is nothing up to Christmas. 

 With the good old Russet, large apples may be 

 kept to June; but after the first warm weather 



For three seasons fruit and vegetables have been successfully stored, for winter use. in this cellar 



of April, apples of any sort run much more risk 

 of being killed and eaten than of ripening to decay. 

 With other sorts I have no present experience. I 

 know, however, that summer and fall apples, 

 peaches, pears, and grapes, keep in the cellar better 

 than upstairs in the light; and that such of the 

 gatherings as have lain upon folded clean paper 

 under a paper dust-proof have outlasted by a week 

 to three weeks similar fruit not sheltered from dust 

 and air currents or the visits of fruit flies. It is 

 highly possible that perfect Astrachan apples 

 might keep some weeks if treated as I treat Spys 

 and Kings. For the favored apple states, there 

 would be very little point in one's taking so much 

 trouble to carry a sour summer apple into the 

 season of its betters; but in high altitudes and 

 districts where the Astrachan is one of the few 

 trees possible for door-yard fruit, the red apple 

 ba:omes precious and worth an experiment. 

 Pennsylvania. E. S. Johnson. 



Chemicals for Garden Use 



IT HAS been my experience during the last 

 few years that daffodils will not endure nitrate 

 of soda, household ammonia in water, or new stable 

 manure. But the yellow sorts (even sulphur 

 phoenix) and the poeticus varieties like wood ashes, 

 or a topdressing of ordinary soap lye sprinkled 

 on the soil early in spring. Best of all is muriate 

 of potash, a good handful to three square yards, 

 broadcasted as the last snow melts. I have some 

 of the inexpensive narcissus growing under plum 

 trees and blackberry bushes for late cut flowers; 

 and in feeding for fruit this season I quite acci- 

 dentally brought the narcissus to great perfection. 

 I have also found that nitrate of soda is magical 

 on lilies-of-the-valley, hardy ferns, and funkias; 

 mildly beneficial to tulip beds; excellent for 

 early asparagus and celery; apparently without 

 effect on columbines and onions. Rhubarb plants 

 yield twice as many stalks if given nitrate phis 

 water: nitrate alone is of no use in a dry spring 

 to this plant. No change takes place in the 

 flavor or acidity of the stalks from the stimulant. 

 Nitrate of soda is not a good spring manure for 

 Pyretkrum roseum hybrids. The vigor of the 

 plant runs to leafage and the flowers come smaU. 

 Bone meal dug around the crowns in March and 

 April is far better. The excessive leafage this 

 year should tend to strengthen, weak crowns for 

 next year's bloom; but nitrate might have been 

 applied after blooming, with this end in view. 



CALCIUM CARBIDE 



For root lice on chrysanthemums and such 

 plants, I use the common calcium carbide, obtain- 

 able at bicycle or motor supply shops. With a 

 dibble I make holes in the soil close to the infested 

 plant, drop an ounce or so of the calcium in and 

 stop the hole with earth or a handful of sticky mud. 

 Unless the soil is very dry it is not necessary to 

 water the bed; only the calcium carbide achieves 

 a more thorough fumigation underground if 

 moisture is present in abundance. The growing 

 plant is not poisoned by this gas. Theoretically, 

 the treatment kills off all wire worms, cutworms, 

 beetles, etc., in the zone of hostilities. In actual 

 practice I find that some are always left alive. 

 For currant-stem-borers, however, this is a perfect 

 cure, four holes around each bush in -March is 

 ample to destroy the hibernating insects. 



CARBON BISULPHIDE 



Carbon bisulphide on a bit of absorbent cotton 

 may be used to kill tree-borers of various kinds. 

 Seal over the hole with clay mud or warm grafting- 

 wax at once. The treatment is quicker and surer 

 than cutting away bark in search of the grub; 

 and in a crotch, or when a graft has united with 

 the main stock, it is the only way of killing the 

 pest without injuring the tree. Carbon bisulphide 

 is a solvent of rubber and so cannot be squirted 

 into the boring with a medicine-dropper or fountain- 

 pen-filler, as is sometimes recommended. The 

 cotton method is neat, and may be used at any 

 time of year. The liquid is explosive if brought 

 near flame, and leaves a vile smell upon the hands if 

 touched; it is not corrosive or dangerous otherwise. 



Pennsylvania. E. S. Johnson. 



