THE MANITOBA HEALTH COOK BOOK

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be picked off the plants and wrapped individually in paper or pack-
ed in straw or excelsior, placed in boxes and stored in a room where
the temperature is 50' or 60 deg. F. A few may also be ripened on
the window sill of the kitchen, the larger, more mature fruits being
most likely to ripen first. :

Celery—Under proper storage conditions celery will keep
fresh till around Christmas. The plants should be lifted with all
their roots attached while still growing vigorously, and before they
have been injured by frost. On the floor of a dark corner of the
cellar the celery should be replanted immediately by completely
covering the roots with sand. Water should be given at once and
later as needed to keep the roots moist. No water however should
get on the leaves or into the growing crowns, otherwise decay will
set in. The best storage temperature for celery is around 36 deg.
F. with a free circulation of air.

Vine Crops. Marrow, squash, pumpkin and watermelon are
included under this heading. For satisfactory storage specimens of
these should be well ripened. Pumpkins and watermelons should
give a hollow ring when rapped with the knuckles, the rinds of
marrows and smooth squash should resist penetration by the thumb
nail. A dry atmosphere and a temperature between 50 and 60 deg.
F. provide the best storage condition for vegetables in this class
(attic or store room) and for successful storage they should not be
bruised in any way. A short portion of the stem should be left
attached to the ‘‘fruit’’ when stored.

Onions. To keep satisfactorily for any length of time onions
must be firm and well matured. Before storing they should be
pulled and left lying on the ground to ripen a sufficiently jong time to
allow the tops and the roots to dry up. Thick necks should not be
stored. The tops may be removed and the bulbs stored in layers
of not more than two rows deep on slatted shelves or boxes in a dry
atmosphere, or the onions may be tied in bunches of about eight
bulbs and hung on nails along the walls or rafters of the cellar.
They should not be peeled for storage and a temperature of about
34 deg. F. should also be maintained for best results.

Garden Roots (beets, carrots, parsnips, salsify, and turnips).
These keep best when packed in dry sand or soil. Each kind should
be in separate bins or boxes. Uniform, mature roots of medium
size, free from diseases or bruises, should be selected. The tops
should be cut off about an inch from the crown and only the fibrous
roots trimmed off, the tap root being left uninjured.

Beets and Carrots should be stored before there have been any
severe frosts. Parsnips and turnips (swedes) will not be injured
by some frost and should not be stored until just before freeze-up.
These keep fresh in air temperature within the limits of 32 to 40

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