234 The Principles of Vegetable- Oar dening 



the products are likely to heat and decay will set in. 

 Be sure that the beets and potatoes are not attacked 

 by fungous diseases before they are put in the pit. It 

 is customary to make a small circular or rectangular 

 excavation from six inches to a foot deep and from 

 six to eight feet across. In this the roots are piled 

 in a tall cone. Straw or salt hay or other dry litter 

 is then thrown over the pile to protect from the early 

 frosts. As the season advances, an inch or two of 

 earth is thrown over the straw and finally, when winter 

 threatens to close in, the pile is covered deep enough 

 to give full protection. Usually ten to twelve inches 

 of earth over the straw will be sufficient, the straw 

 itself being four to six inches thick after it is well 

 matted down. In severe climates the earth may then 

 be covered with a foot or two of horse manure. Ap- 

 ples can be buried in this way with very good results, 

 particularly the long -keeping varieties, as Russets. 



If a great quantity of roots is to be stored, the pit 

 may be elongated to any length required. It is well 

 not to make it much wider than six or eight feet, else 



the vegetables will be 

 likely to heat and there 

 ...^ ...c^^^^^s^^^^-^^^^x^ may be too great pres- 

 -^£2^^''''^'^^ sure on the lowermost 



Fig. 60. A compartment-pit. after each tubcrS. An eXCCllcnt 

 compartment is covered. modification of the long 



pit is the compartment -pit (Fig. 60). This has narrow 

 partitions of earth every four or five feet, thus prevent- 

 ing the heating of the vegetables and also allowing one 

 compartment to be emptied during the winter without 



