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



between the tiers of bins should be allowed for ventilation. The 

 use of slat shelves with the heads piled one or two layers deep is con- 

 sidered the best method, but it is too expensive when large quantities 

 are to be stored. 



Cabbage should be handled carefully from the field to the storage. 

 Before it is stored, the roots and all loose leaves should be trimmed 

 away, and the damaged and misshapen heads should be culled. On 

 being removed from storage, the heads should be trimmed again to 

 remove loose and damaged leaves. 



Early cabbage, especially southern grown, should not be expected to 

 keep over 3 to 6 weeks even at 32° F. 



The most common decay found in stored cabbage is slimy soft rot. 



Carrots 



(Temperature, 32° F. ; relative humidity topped, 95 to 98 percent; and bunch, 85 to 90 



percent) 



Carrots are stored in fairly large quantities during the winter. 

 The marketing period for stored carrots extends to late winter or 

 early spring. They are usually held in common storage in those sec- 

 tions where the storage temperature can ordinarily be held sufficiently 

 low. In the larger markets stored carrots must be sold in competition 

 with fresh stock, which is being shipped practically the year around 

 from either southern or western producing sections. Carrots are 

 sometimes held in cold storage, although the prices obtained for 

 them do not usually justify this kind of treatment. 



It is generally considered that very light freezing causes practically 

 no injury, but carrots should be protected from severe freezing and 

 are best stored at a temperature of 32° F. They are subject to wilting 

 or drying out if the humidity is not fairly high ; for this reason they 

 are more easily kept in a well-ventilated cellar or bank storage than in 

 an above-ground storage. The relative humidity should be main- 

 tained at 95 percent or slightly higher. 



Before being placed in storage, carrots should be topped and all 

 misshapen or injured specimens sorted out. The latter are especially 

 objectionable, because their presence in a storage lot favors the devel- 

 opment of two serious diseases of stored carrots, namely, watery soft 

 rot and bacterial soft rot. Carrots are best kept in slat crates or ven- 

 tilated barrels, and provision should be made for air circulation be- 

 tween the containers. Under good conditions they should keep 4 

 to 5 months. 



Bunch carrots may be stored at 32° F. for 10 days to 2 weeks, and 

 the tops will still retain a fresh appearance if they are not crowded 

 in storage. If cold storage is not available bunch carrots from dis- 

 tant production areas may be packed in crushed ice and should keep 

 at least a week. If it is desired to carry over such carrots for only 

 a day or two icing may not be necessary. Under these conditions, 

 however, the crates or containers should be opened and the contents 

 loosened so as to allow air to circulate through; otherwise, heating 

 will take place, and the foliage will soon become yellow or discolored, 

 which, of course, is undesirable. 



Foliage will discolor sooner if kept warm and wet than if kept 

 cool and dry. 



