18 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
October, 1917 
Storage of Vegetables. 
By J. R. Hepler, College of Agri- 
culture, University of 
Wisconsin 
Vegetables for winter use are 
ordinarily canned or stored. With 
most vegetables, storage is prefer- 
able to canning, as it is cheaper, 
requires less work, and the prod- 
uct is better, due to the fact that 
the characteristic flavor of the veg- 
etable is preserved to a greater de- 
gree by this method. The factors 
governing the storage vary materi- 
ally with the different vegetables. 
There is one requirement, however, 
that is common to all — the vege- 
table to be stored must be sound, 
that is, free from bruises or decay. 
Vegetables which have decayed at 
the time of placing in storage, not 
only are valueless, but usually 
spread disease to other vegetables. 
Vegetables which are bruised offer 
more favorable conditions for the 
entrance of rot than those which 
are sound. With the proper vege- 
table storage, the chief things to 
consider in storing are the variety 
used, temperature, moisture con- 
tent of the air, and the maturity 
of the vegetable. The last three 
vary considerably with the differ- 
ent kinds of vegetables. 
As regards the variety to be 
used, it is always desirable to select 
those varieties which are known to 
be good keepers. For example, it 
would be folly to grow an early 
variety of cabbage such as Jersey 
Wakefield, for winter storage. 
The varieties best adapted to 
late storage are of the Danish Ball- 
head type, including Ballhead, 
Danish Roundhead, Hollander, and 
Amager. These varieties, in addi- 
tion to being desirable for storage, 
are fairly resistant to the rot di- 
sease common in the field. They 
also have the advantage that they 
do not ordinarily burst their heads 
and are always very solid. Their 
disadvantages are that they re- 
quire a very rich soil and are not 
of high quality. Succession, Sure 
Head, Flat Dutch, Brunswick, and 
All Head are varieties which keep 
very well until January and are 
especially well adapted to the mak- 
ing of sauerkraut. Volga is a high 
quality cabbage that keeps well 
until the holidays. 
Methods in Storing Cababge 
Cabbage for storage should not 
be over-mature, particularly if it 
is of the mid-season variety, as this 
causes bursting of the heads. It 
must be free from disease and must 
be handled with care so as not to 
bruise it. It keeps best when stored 
in a low temperature, within a de- 
gree or two of freezing, and should 
have a fairly moist atmosphere. 
For cellar storage, the usual 
method is to wrap the cabbage in 
newspaper or other heavy paper 
and keep it in the coolest part of 
the cellar, providing that the tem- 
perature does not go below the 
freezing point. Cabbage may also 
be stored in a box and covered with 
sand. The sand will absorb any 
disagreeable odors which may arise 
from decay. When stored in sand, 
it is particularly desirable to keep 
the temperature near the freezing 
point, to prevent premature 
growth. 
Pit and Trench Storage 
Cabbage which is wanted for 
spring use may be stored out of 
doors, either in trenches or pits. 
In this method of storage only the 
outer leaves are removed from the 
head and the stems are left intact. 
The trench about six inches deep 
and sufficiently wide to accommo- 
date three heads of cabbage placed 
sidewise, is dug on a well drained 
location. Three to four inches of 
straw or leaves are placed over the 
bottom of the trench, and the heads 
are placed in rows of three on this 
material. The stems of the outer 
heads are sloped towards the cen- 
ter. When the desired number of 
cabbages are in the trench, they 
are covered with about six inches 
of soil. After the upper inch or 
two of the soil has frozen, an ad- 
ditional layer of marsh hay or ma- 
nure is put on to prevent alternate 
freezing and thawing. Pit stor- 
age does not differ from trench 
storage, except that the pit is usu- 
ally round and somewhat deeper 
than the trench. 
Ways of Storing Root Crops. 
Winter radishes, carrots, beets, 
turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, and 
salsify demand about the same 
storage conditions. The late var- 
ieties of these crops are best for 
storage. They should have a low 
temperature, close to the freezing 
point, and relatively large 
amounts of moisture. If this 
moisture is not provided, they will 
wilt and lose their flavor and be- 
come coarse in texture. After 
wilting, it is impossible to get 
them back to their original con- 
dition. They may be stored in 
sand which is moistened from 
time to time in order to prevent 
wilting. These vegetables may 
also be stored in pits, but with the 
exception of salsify and parsnips, 
must be covered sufficiently deep 
to prevent freezing, as they are 
spoiled if frozen. Parsnips and 
salsify may be left in the rows in 
the garden over winter and will 
be even better for use in the 
spring than in the fall. It may 
be desirable to put a light mulch 
of leaves or straw over the rows 
just after the ground has frozen. 
