Show CELLARS OR CAVES particularly desirable for storage of many surplus vegetable crops SUPERIOR IN MANY RESPECTS outdoor affairs can be maintained at uniform temperature over long period ventilators rg rs add to efficiency prepared by the united states department ot of agriculture Aerl culture outdoor storage cellars or caves are excellent for the storage of many vegetables they are particularly desirable on the farm as they afford convenient and inexpensive storage facilities tor for surplus vegetable crops that otherwise might be lost they possess all the advantages of the storage room in the basement and are superior in many respects the outdoor storage cellar can be maintained at a uniform temperature over a long period it Is possible to keep the cellar cool and quickly to reduce the temperature of Z ft ap I 1 I 1 an outdoor storage cellar typical of those used in the south for storing sweet potatoes and other root crops it consists of a pole and plank frame covered with sod and straw the stored product to the desired point for sate safe storage by opening the door during the night and closing it in the morning morning before the air becomes warm all ventilators rs should likewise be kept tightly closed until the outside air Is again cooler than that within the cellar when ahen they should be opened unless the outside temperature Is so low as to be oe dangerous this safeguards the product and adds to the efficiency of the storage chamber vegetables can be more conveniently placed in such a cellar than in the storage room in the basement of a dwelling when mien the chief use of the outdoor storage cellar Is for storing turnips beets carrots a and nd other root crops commonly used as stock for food it should be located near the stable where the material will be convenient for foi winter feeding when it is to be used for vegetables for the table the cellar should be accessible from the kitchen tit nt till all times if apples or other fruits are to be stored in an outdoor storage cellar it Is desirable to have a two compartment cellar one for vegetables and one for apples with a ventilating apparatus in each compartment part ment construction of cellar As the root cellar must be weather proof that Is capable of being kept free from moisture and free from frost its type and construction vary with the geographical location in the southern portion of the country the structure is usually entirely above ground and protected by only a few inches of sod and with straw leaves etc in northern sections outdoor storage cellars fire are made almost entirely below ground and covered with a foot or two of earth storage in regions of mild winters an aboveground above ground storage cellar suited to conditions in southern sections of tho the united states may be built on a well drained site nt at slight expense A row of posts may be set 5 or 6 feet apart extending 7 or 8 feet above the surface of the ground with a ridgepole placed on top of them against each side of the ridgepole a row of planks or puncheons luncheons ons Is placed with their opposite ends resting in a shallow trench 4 or 5 foot feet from the line of posts the ends are boarded up a door being provided in one end of the structure and the room covered with sod to a depth of 5 or 6 inches A good type of outdoor storage cellar built along these lines la is shown in the illustration storage in regions of severe freezes in sections where low temperatures prevail it Is necessary necessary to insulate the storage house so that the vegetables will not freeze an aboveground above ground type of storage house much used in many sections ot of the north has thick walls filled with insulating material such as sawdust of or shavings the construction Is of frame find and the walls are usually 10 to 12 inches thick both the inside and the outside walls walli are sheathed with with matched lumber so as to make them airtight the rafters tire are celled on the under side with the same material and the space between the rafters tilled with dry insulating material the use of la in tho the root roof and walls of the storage house houe Is ot of great asgis assistance tane e la in I 1 ln bu latIng it il A type of storage cellar much used in northern sect sections lons of the country Is built partly finder ground the walls balig are of masonry and extend tos to a point just above the surface of the ground on these walls plates are set and a root roof ot of frame construction erected the roof structure is celled on the under side of the rafters and some suitable insulating material uha 8 dry sawdust or sha shaling pings 4 packed in the space between the rafters rafter und then them the sheathing paper and roofing material are applied this type of structure is preferable in many respects to the aboveground above ground type as it Is easler easier to maintain the temperature at the proper point and its insulation la is a comparatively i i easy matter protection from freezing may be secured with a simpler type of structure by making tt it entirely underground in order to avoid steps down to the level of the floor with the consequent extra labor in storing and removing the vegetables a location ta Is desirable the excavation in the hill should be of the approximate size of the cellar using the dirt for covering the root roof and for banking the sides of the structure A frame Is erected by setting two rows of posts of uniform height in the bottom of the pit near the dirt walls and a third line of posts pasts abbat 5 feet higher through the center of the pit these posts serve as supports for the planks or pun luncheons puncheons cheun ons forming the room of the structure ns as with the aboveground above ground type of storage cellar already described the door is placed at one end and a ventilator put in the roof the whole structure with the exception of the tha portion occupied by the door Is covered with dirt and sod the thickness of the covering must be determined by the location the colder the climate the thicker the covering the dirt covering may be supplemented in winter by a layer of manure straw corn fodder etc outdoor storage cellars usually are left with dirt floors as a certain degree ot of mol Is 13 desirable these cellars may be made of concrete brick hollow tile stone or other material outdoor storage cellar built of con crete the type of outdoor storage cellar described above while low in first cosa cost Is short lived as the conditions in the tha cellar are favorable to the decay of 0 wood the he concrete storage cellar although rather high in first cost as compared with wood Is a permanent structure concrete possesses several advantages over brick stone or other decay resisting materials in the construction st of a small structure sulta suitable bla for the home it Is possible to make the roof self supporting andio employ unskilled labor thus lessening the cost it Is a simple matter to wa ter proof concrete a feature highly desirable in a storage cellar for detailed information in ili reference to the mixing and handling ol of concrete the reader la Is referred to farmers bulletin entitled the tha use of concrete on the farm n the site for the concrete storage cellar should be selected with the same sama considerations in mind as for the tha wood frame cellar namely a well drained convenient location preferably a sl dehill into which it may be built the excavation should be bb just large enough for the dirt walls to serve as the outside form for the concrete for that portion of the wall which lit in end view of an outdoor storage cellar showing the frame of posts cov covered ered with planks or luncheons puncheons ons orts and with dirt additional protection may be given by placing manure straw or corn fodder on top of the dirt above the surface of the ground a board form must be used the inside form Is dually made of board held in place t by y scantling spaced about IS 18 inches apart temporary supports should be placed across the top to ta carry the form so that it will be of the size and shape desired the side walls and root roof should be so constructed that there will be no joints to weak ea n the structure the form for the tha idling ceiling may be slightly arched by set ting ing a temporary line of posts through the he middle of the excavation A plate plata placed on these posts a few inches higher than the height of the side walls walla will allow the form boards to tr be laid crosswise of the cellar springing the ends down andle and securing curing them thela to the forms tor for the inside of the tha walls the whole structure with the exception of the portion occupied by the door ls Is co vereil with earth to prevent free freezing zini the he thickness of the earth covering depending upon the geographical location in the colder sections of the country 2 or 3 feet Is not too much and additional protection maybo maybe given by using a supplementary covering of straw or manure in severe cold T both the top and bottom air ducts must be closed it Is well to cover the tha outside ends of the air inlets by woven in order to prevent small 2111 from entering the storage cellar |