WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
October, 1916 
26 
A Cellar Garden for Winter 
N. A. RASMUSSEN 
While we are planning our 
summer garden let us also give 
a thought or two to our next 
winter’s cellar garden, as we 
may need now to prepare a 
trifle. Have we any good rhu- 
barb roots? If not let us get 
some at once. A few roots and 
a barrel of saw-dust is all that 
is necessary for the winter gar- 
den. 
Take three-year old plants, or 
as much older as you may have 
them and dig these plants late 
in the fall just before it freezes 
up. Sink your spade full length 
of blade, cutting a circle close to 
the hill, then by carefully prying 
you can lift the hill in a solid 
clump without loosening the 
dirt or breaking the roots to any 
extent. Place these roots on the 
north side of a building or bush 
(out of the sun) and let them 
freeze for about four weeks, this 
is very essential for if they are 
not thoroughly frozen the crop 
will be a failure. Now take an 
old barrel of any kind put in 
about four inches of saw-dust 
or garden soil, even coal ashes 
will do, but saw-dust is light and 
clean and holds moisture well. 
Next place the frozen clump in 
and pack saw-dust or other 
material around roots and cover 
to the depth of about three 
inches. If you leave the crown 
exposed you will get too many 
small stalks. See that the filling is 
two or three inches higher around 
the outside of the barrel than in 
the center, thus preventing the 
water from running down the 
outside of the barrel onto the 
floor. Place in the cellar, water 
well and cover with carpet, bur- 
lap or anything convenient that 
will entirely exclude the light. 
Light would develop leaf at the 
expense of the stalk thereby 
lessening the crop; light would 
also rob the stalk of its rich red 
color, delicate flavor and tender- 
ness. 
Now all you have to do is to 
keep it watered and watch it 
grow. The temperature of your 
cellars may vary from 35 to 70 
degrees Fahrenheit. The higher 
the temperature the faster it 
will grow, but any cellar will 
grow rhubarb. A hill of rhubarb 
handled in this way will produce 
more pounds of edible plant than 
if left in the ground as its food 
A barrel of pie fruit, cellar grown: photo- 
graphed January 1916. Grown by N. A. 
Rasmussen. See article on p. 26. 
has all been stored in the root 
for the coming season and is all 
transformed into stalk instead 
of leaf. 
Asparagus may be grown in 
the same way except that it must 
be kept warmer and must be 
given some light and it will be 
found more delicate to handle. 
Green onions may be grown from 
sets in flat boxes and may be 
given plenty of light. If one has 
plenty of room and a little time 
BERRY BOXES 
Crates, Bushel Boxes 
and Climax Baskets 
As You Like Them 
We manufacture the Ewald Patent 
Folding Berry Boxes of wood veneer that 
give satisfaction. Berry box and crate 
material in the K. D. in carload lots our 
specialty. We constantly carry in stock 
16 quart crates all made up ready for use, 
either for strawberries or blueberries. 
No order too small or too large for us to 
handle. We can ship the folding boxes 
and crates in K. D. from Milwaukee. 
Promptness is essential in handling fruit, 
and we aim to do our part well. A large 
discount for early orders. A postal 
brings our price list. 
Cumberland Fruit Package Co. 
Dept. D, Cumberland Wis. 
beet greens might also be added 
to the list, planting the old beets 
same as onions. 
These notes were wri tten March 
1916. Editor. 
Fertilizer for Roses 
As the result of a series of 
experiments carried on by Dr. 
F. W. Muncie of the Department 
of Floriculture at the University 
of Illinois, the interesting con- 
clusion has been reached that 
the use of acid phosphate as a 
fertilizer increases the rate of 
production of roses to a remark- 
able extent, perhaps a hundred 
limes. 
Squash and pumpkins keep 
better if harvested before frost. 
They should be handled care- 
fully to prevent bruising. 
October is the season for plant- 
ing tulips, hyacinths, and all 
other Holland bulbs. Read again 
the excellent article by Pr:>f. 
Moore in the September number. 
