2 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
September, 1918 
Home Storage of Vegetables and 
Fruits. 
By C. L. Fitch and J. H. Allison. 
1- Potatoes are best stored in 
covered barrels or small bins. In 
crates or shallow piles they lose 
too much moisture and shrivel. 
They must not be stored in piles 
that are too large, because they 
heat and may keep poorly or 
sprout in the center of the pile. 
No potato should be more than 
four feet from air. Care should be 
taken to keep earth out of the po- 
tatoes, as much of it in any one 
place in the pile may prevent ven- 
tilation and cause heating and rot- 
ting. A few potatoes in a cold 
cellar are far more apt to freeze 
than those in a large pile. 
Potatoes should be kept abso- 
lutely dark to prevent greening 
by light. Freezing destroys pota- 
toes. No potatoes should be pur- 
chased for storage that are dug 
after the ground is crusted with 
frost, because it lias proven impos- 
sible to sort out frosted potatoes. 
All those touched by frost will 
spoil, one after another. Do not 
buy potatoes in sacks that show 
wet places due to a frosted potato. 
Potatoes and many other vege- 
tables that require a storage room 
should not be too dry or to well 
ventilated. In some cases a damp 
earth floor or the sprinkling of 
the floor helps keep vegetables 
crisp. It is in this respect that 
pits excel. 
2. Cabbage is not injured by 
moderate frost. Late varieties, 
perfectly sound and not too ripe, 
are the only ones fit for storage. 
To wrap cabbages in paper and to 
leave on the outer leaves helps 
keep them crisp. For use after 
Christmas, most cabbage is best 
stored frozen solid in a pit. It 
will stand some freezing-and- 
thawing. For use after March, 
.cabbage should be stored as kraut. 
3. Onions need to be thoroughly 
cured when harvested. Dryness 
is a first requisite. They should 
be kept cold as well as dry. A 
well cured onion should be firm 
and not readily dented at the base 
of the tops by the tip of the 
thumb, when held in the hand. 
Onions are best for storage if 
topped about 1% inches long. 
They will stand very little freez- 
ing-and-thawing, but are unin- 
jured by being frozen solid once 
grodually if thawed out sloAvly. 
Seed onions are best stored frozen. 
4. Beets, Turnips, Kohlrabi, 
Winter Radishes, Carrots and 
Rutabagas are best stored in sand 
in cellars or caves, or in pits ; or in 
tightly covered boxes or crocks. 
The object is to keep them cold 
and to prevent evaporation. Kohl- 
rabi must be tender when stored. 
5. Squashes, Sweet Potatoes, 
Pumpkins, must be well ripened 
and cured. They must be free 
from bruises. They are best kept 
on shelves in a very dry place. 
They need not be kept specially 
cool. Try to store only well rip- 
ened, home grown sweet potatoes. 
6. Parsnips, Parsley, Vegetable 
Oyster, Horseradish, may be kept 
in the ground where grown all 
winter, but as too much freezing- 
and-thawing destroys them they 
should be covered lightly until se- 
vere weather and then uncovered 
to freeze solid and covered again. 
These vegetables may be stored 
as suggested in section /, but the 
way to have them available all 
winter and to keep them most 
crisp is to hold them frozen. 
7. Celery, Endive, Head Let- 
tuce, may be rooted in earth in a 
cellar or cave, and with occasion- 
al watering may be kept until 
about Christmas time. Turnips, 
winter radishes and other vege- 
tables mentioned in sections 4 and 
6, also may be stored with the 
roots planted in sand or earth as 
above indicated. 
8. Garlic should be thoroughly 
cured as are onions, or it may be 
braided by the tops into strings 
which are hung up in dry places 
for curing and storing. 
9. .Ground Cherries or Husk To- 
matoes may be stored for some 
weeks in the husk in thin layers 
in a dry place, free from frost. 
10. Tomatoes may be kept until 
about Thanksgiving by bringing 
the well matured green tomatoes 
or the vines with the tomatoes on, 
into the cellar or cave in the fall. 
Most of the tomatoes will ripen 
and be most acceptable as soon as 
they color up. The tomatoes may 
be placed on shelves or in boxes, 
and the vines may be hung up. 
Fresh fruits are essential to 
health. So far as possible all the 
warring countries are supplying 
t'heir soldiers with fruit. AVe 
should study the storage and use 
of apples at home. 
11- Essentials in Storing: 
A. AV ell grown apples, free 
from injury by disease, worms, or 
other insects. 
B. Hand pick to avoid bruises 
when “hard ripe,” (not ripe 
enough to eat). 
C. Wrap in paper (newspaper 
is 0. K.) to lessen evaporation. 
D. Cool thoroughly before put- 
ting away. 
E. Store in tight barrels or 
boxes. 
(Continued on page 8) 
