102 



BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK 



are, as a rule, made on the surface as follows : Piles 

 of topped and unbruised roots (or . potatoes) are 

 made on a high, well-drained piece of ground. These 

 piles may be almost any shape or size (but it is 

 wise not to have the piles large enough to heat when 

 covered — better make several separate pits when the 

 quantity to be stored is large, or one long pit divided 



feet at the base, then a layer of straw about six 

 inches deep when matted down, and, lastly, a dayer 

 of soil about a foot in depth shoveled up from 

 around the pit. In the center of each pit or com- 

 partment, is an upright stick to which is tied a wisp 

 of straw arranged as a ventilator. (In very severe 

 climates it may be necessary to put a layer of man- 

 ure on top of the soil layer, or another layer each of 

 straw and soil.) Special remarks: Do not cover 

 the pit all at once. First put on the straw, with a 

 board or two to hold it in place ; this will protect 

 against light frosts. As the weather gets colder, 

 throw on an inch or two of soil — adding soil as the 

 winter advances until the pit is fully protected. A 

 house cellar is not a suitable place to store more than 

 a few potatoes (in bins) and a few roots (in sand). 



AN OUTDOOR ROOT-PIT 



at four-foot intervals with a 

 wall of earth so as to make 

 separate compartments). The 

 accompanying picture shows 

 how to make a pit. On top of 

 the ground comes a shallow 

 layer of straw, then a cone of 

 roots not wider than about six 



