Show c I STORING V VEGETABLES is IN B BANKS SYR OR PITS ITS ITS- J Dowd Dirt Covering Strew Straw vegetables Arvin J Ground Level STO STORAGE AGE PIT CONTAINING IRISH POTATOES PO Prepared by the United States Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment of ot Agriculture re Outdoor banks or pits are arc used very generally for keeping vegetables The conical pit is use used for commonly for such vegetables as potatoes carrots beets turnips parsnips and heads of ot cabbage and Is constructed as follows A well-drained well location should be chosen and the product piled on the surface of the ground or a shallow excavation may be made of suitable SS efU x v Pit Containing Sweet Potatoes size Ize and six or eight Inches deep which may be lined with straw leaves or similar material and the vegetables placed on on the litter in a conical pile The vegetables should then be covered covered cov coy ered with straw or similar material and finally with earth to a n depth of ot wo or three inches As winter approaches approaches ap ap- the dirt covering should be pe e Increased until It Is Is' Is several inches thick The depth of ot the earth covering Is determined determined- by the severIty severity sever sever- severity ity of the winters In the particular lo lo- It Is well to cover the pits with straw corn oro fo fodder or manure manuro during severely cold weather The amount of ventilation necessary will depend upon the size of the pit Small pits containing but a few bushels bushels bushels bush bush- els of vegetables will receive sufficient sufficient dent ventilation If th the straw between the vegetables and dirt Is allowed to extend through the dirt at the apex of the pile This should shout be covered with a board or piece of tin Un held In place by n a stone to protect It from rain In large pits ventilation may maybe maybe maybe be secured by placing two or three pieces of rough boards or stakes up through the center of the pile of vegetables vegetables vegetables vege vege- tables so that a n flue Is formed Conned This flue due Is capped by Iby by a trough formed of ot two pieces of board nailed together at right angles Vegetables keep very well In such pits but it Is difficult to get them out In cold weather so that when a n pit pitIs pitIs pitis Is opened It Is desirable to remove Its entire contents at once For this reason reason reason rea rea- son It Is advisable to construct several several sev sev- eral erat small pits rather than one larger one and instead of storing each ench crop in a pit b by Itself It Is better to place a small quantity of several kinds of ot vegetables in the same pit so that it will be necessary to open only one bank to get a supply of all nil of ot them In storing severn several 1 crops in the same bank It Is a good plan to separate them with straw leaves or other ma JOa- The vegetables from the small pit may be placed temporarily In the storage room In the basement where they will be easily accessible as needed needed needed need need- ed for tor the table |