36 CIRCULAR 2 7 8, U. S, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



is gray mold rot occurring at the top of the bulb, whence its name 

 "neck rot" (85). The fungus causing it can develop to some extent 

 even at 32° F. ; hence onions intended for storage should be carefully 

 sorted over to remove all diseased bulbs. A uniform temperature of 

 32° is found to be sufficiently low to keep onions dormant and reason- 

 ably free from decay provided they are in good sound condition and 

 well-cured when stored. 



Onions are not perceptibly injured by slight freezing if allowed to 

 thaw out slowly and without rough handling. In cold storage they 

 are usually held in bags of 50 or 100 pounds each, which are best piled 

 in pairs laid crosswise in stacks five or six sacks high. The stacks 

 should be set a few inches off the floor on 2- by 4-inch strips and the 

 individual stacks separated by a few inches of space to allow for air 

 circulation. When kept in common storage, onions are best stored 

 in slat field crates holding about 1 bushel, rather than in bags. Be- 

 fore being placed in storage onions should be well dried or cured in 

 the field for a period of 4 to 6 weeks, and all decayed specimens or 

 those showing thick or "bottle" necks should be sorted out. 



Onion sets are usually held in common storage. They require 

 nearly the same conditions as large onions and are best stored in 

 shallow slat-bottom crates or trays not over 4 inches deep and about 

 5 by 5 feet in some districts or 2 by 3 feet in others. The corner posts 

 of the crates should project about an inch above the side pieces in 

 order to prevent the crates from resting tightly on each other when 

 stacked and to allow air circulation between them. Because of their 

 size, onion sets tend to pack closely in the crates; hence it is essen- 

 tial to allow as much air circulation as possible and to maintain a 

 comparatively low humidity. If good stock is provided and is held 

 under proper storage conditions, it should keep 6 to 8 months. 



Parsnips 



(Temperature, 32° F. ; relative humidity, 90 to 95 percent) 



Parsnips have nearly the same storage requirements as carrots 

 and should keep for 2 to 4 months. They are not injured by slight 

 freezing while in storage but should be protected from hard freezing 

 and should be very carefully handled while in a frozen condition. 

 Parsnips dry out readily in storage; hence it is essential that the 

 humidity of the storage place be kept relatively high. Parsnips are 

 sometimes stored in sand or clean soil to prevent wilting, but they 

 will keep in good condition when held in barrels or crates if the 

 proper humidity is maintained. 



Peas (Green) 



(Temperature, 32° F. ; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



Storage conditions required for green peas are somewhat different 

 from those for beans. Green peas tend to lose part of their sugar con- 

 tent, on which much of their flavor depends, unless they are promptly 

 cooled to near 32° F. shortly after being picked. They cannot be ex- 

 pected to keep in salable condition for more than 1 to 2 weeks unless 

 packed in crushed ice, in which condition the storage period may be 

 extended perhaps a week. Peas keep better unshelled than shelled. 



