VOL. LVI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., OCTOBER 5, 1901.
NO. 40
^spcvkncc Jkpavtmeiii
TELL  HOW TO STORE   VEGETABLES
FRUITS FOR WINTER USE.
AND
Follow Nature's Methods.
1st Premium.—Nature's way of keeping
vegetables is in the ground where they
Strew, aad I doubt if man has improved
much on nature's way, except that lie has
protected the whole crop, while in nature's
way there was much loss. Irish potatoes,
cabbage, turnips, beets and all root crops
that oanot stand the frost must be protected
from the freeze. Irish potatoes cauot stand
the frost, so inns be covered so that frost
cannot reach them. Dig a hole eight or
ten inches deep on high ground so that
water will not stand, put' in 25 to 30
bushels and cover well with straw; then
put on 12 inches of dirt, and as winter
comes ou put on 8 or 10 inches of coarse
stable manure, and if they are left in the
hole late in the spring protect the hole
from the sua with a shed of boards or
si raw, as this will keep them from sprouting and they will come out as plump as
they were at digging time. Beets must
be kept from the frost. Cabbage and turnips  are  not   injured   by   freezing  if  well
 I   and   not   disturbed   until   thawed
..tit. Hole yonr turnips as yonr potatoes,
except the manure. For cabbage dig a
trench wide enough to hold fonr heads
side l*y side, two heads deep, though the
trench should not be over three or four
inches deep. Commence laying in your
cabbage at one end of your ditch with
roots resting back on the cabbage. Six
inches of dirt directly on the cabbage is
sufficient, but cover all the roots. There
is no trouble in keeping cabbage if the
winter is dry. Wet and warm weather
make the trouble. All vegetables holed
out should lie ditched so that no water
can stand on them.
I'm- your apples put up shelving along
the walls of your cellar, three feet wide,
and six inches deep; the first shelf three
feet from tho floor, the second eighteen
inches above the first. Put your apples
on the shelves, each variety to itself, and
you can easily assort them as they need.
Under this shelving put what potatoes, turnips, beets, etc., you need for the winter,
on the ground or floor. Your turnips and
lii'cts should la* covered with dirt and your
potatoes with sonic old carpet, or anything
that will keep the air and light away, for
an Irish potato is not long fit to eat that
is exposed to the air ami light. All fruit
.-Mid vegetables should lie kept near the
freezing point, except the sweet potato;
and tire it must and will have, .or go the
way of all vegetables. You may keep
tbem any place where they will not freeze,
provided you can give them fire enough to
keep tbem dry. For twenty years at
least I pitted two barrels with sweet potatoes, freshly dug from the ground before
frost, and set by the cookstove until dried
out. I then moved them away until
colder weather, and never failed to keep
them. Do not dig and let your potatoes
lie around two or three weeks to dry out.
Put them right into your barrels, and if
they are damp dry them out. Don't let
them lie around and chill. You can keep
pumpkins the same way. Try some in
some room where they will not freeze
ami can- have a smell of fire, and you will
have them next April, and squashes, too.
If you have no cellar you may open your
vegetables that are holed out by filling the
hole with coarse manure and padding on
tin- outside with the same. I. N. C.
A Busy Hous h*ld.
2d  Premium.—Fruits and vegetables of
all kinds can be kept with convenience in
many different ways. For instance, the
peach, which our trees are so abundantly
laden with, can be easily stored for winter.
It can be canned or pickled, preserved or
made into butter, ami I have kept it till
almost Christmas by laying it in a dark
place or under the joists in the cellar.
These were the late varieties. My experience with the peach has been extended
in*ne than usual this season, as we have
sold more than one thousand bushels. We
have over 100 cans, several gallons of preserves and something like 28 gallons of
butter for winter consumption.
The apple as a storer and keeper is
far better than the peach. We generally
pick our apples along in October, lay them
in the barn, sort the specked and knotty
ones from those that are good, anil carry
the rest into the cellar, although they
can be kepi by digging a trench a few-
feet long and burying them. When this is
done cover with leaves or straw and place
dirt on top. A hard apple mellows up better
in this way. We take the faulty apples
and cook into butter, and use the knotty
ones for cider. We sometimes can sonic
and make preserves, but are not so fond of
Ihem.     We make more use of the jelly.
TVnrs anp plums have a wider fange in
quantity and quality. For winter storage
of the former 1 usually pickle and preserve, as we are very fond of preserves,
and I think pears are a little flat to can.
Tin* winter varieties 'are stored away in
cellars same as the apples. I have used
pears in butter, but they are much better
to mix witli apples. Plums we used in
jam, jelly, preserves and butter. The
natural plum as it grows on the tree can
not be stored for winter.
The cherry and the grape arc used in
%ery near the same manner. I have kept
the grape hanging on the vine tied in
paper bags until freezing weather. Some
pack  them down in jars for winter    use.
The tomato, my highly prized vegetable
frnit, I use to can and preserve, and for
sauce. I have ripened them till almost
Thanksgiving by picking the green ones
off of the vino when there is danger of
frost and putting in a dark room, with a
very little light, and spreading a wool
blanket o\er them. They ripen nicely.
This is the Canadian style of ripening tomatoes.
Irish potatoes we dig and put in* the
cellar. They can also be buried in the
ground. I don't think they will be any
trouble to store this season, as they will
be used Sparingly as a dessert before
spring. The sweet potato can be packed
with success in many different ways, such
as with sawdust, sand, ashes and paper.
We pack I hem in paper. We packed away
40 bushels in paper last year ami will
have thai many again this year. Turnips and beets we bury in the ground, besides canning some beets. Parsnips and
* arrots we use after frost letting them
stand iu the ground where they grew.
Some like to can beans. We usually use
them dried, pickled and dry in the pod.
Peas are excellent canned and dry. Cabbage, possibly the most useful vegetable
save the potato, is easily kept till the
warm days in spring by digging a trench
a foot deep and six or eight feet long.
Pull your cabbage when there is danger
of freezing and stand in slanting with
roots down. Place fork at each end of
treach with a pole across them and shut
up with boards all around with the exception of one end. Shut it with one large
plank, so as to make it convenient to get
to. Cover with straw and then dirt. Hang
a  blanket over the opening.     This gives
you fresh cabbage the whole winter
through, when your neighbor has
* uly saner kraut
I think as Providence has furnished us
with so much this season, by economy and
Industry, every housewife, either iu the
city or country, can have an ample supply
of fruits and vegetables this winter.
Harrison Co. A.  it.
How to Make a Hanging Shelf
3d Premium.—Most cellars are not properly
fitted for storing away fruit and vegetables
for winter use, and other places are not
satisfactory. As a general rule the cellar
has a large number of rats and mice which
bother the fruit and cause it to spoil, unless tin* apples are stored where they cannot go. A very satisfactory and useful
arrangement is to make a hanging shelf
or bin. Xail boards or strips six inches
wide, and long enough to reach within two
and a half feet of the cellar floor, to the
joists above. A six inch strip can lie
nailed to the bottom of the upright pieces
and another one two ami one-half feet from
the bottom. Others can be added, but
they should not be closer than two feet
nor less than two feel from the ceiling.
Boards can 1*<* nailed to tin* sides and ends
;.nil tin- tipples can be poured out t,,.*s,,.
thus making it possible to sort out the
decayed and partly decayed ones without
bruising and lxithering the sound apples.
This is almost impossible when they are in
boxes and barrels unless they are
poured on the floor, which bruises them.
Tin* beets, turnips, potatoes and other
vegetables can lie put on the floor in one
corner, if there is not enough room on the
swinging shelf. If you do not have room,
the fall ami early winter apples can be
Stored away and when they are used up
the late winter ones can be stored in their
place.
Tho shelf will also be good for milk during Hie summer by taking off the side and
end pieces ami slatting it up. Or the bot-
ioin can* be taken out and slats can be
used. It will keep the rats and mice out
of the milk and butter, besides letting it
cool off faster when using shallow pans.
The shelf can be made in a few hours
Thes helf can be made in a few hours
and for small cost. It should be braced
so as to make it as rigid as possible.
Howard Co C. B.
Premiums of $1, 75 cents and 50 cents
are given for the first, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company and should reach us one week before
date of publication.
Topics for discussion in future numbers
of the Farmer are as follows:
No. 892, Oct. 12.—How should houses,
pens, etc. be constructed for the economical feeding of hogs through the winter?
Fourth  Indiana Conference  of Institute
Officers and Workers.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The Fourth Annual Conference of the
Farmers' Institute Officers and Workers
of Indiana, will be held at Purdue University, Lafayette, Tnd., on Wednesday and
Thursday, October !>. 10, 1901.
PltoGKAM.
Wednesday,  10 a. m.     J.  P.  Martin, Loganse rt,
presiding.
Prayer,  Rev.   O.   R.  McKay,   pastor First  Ba     si
Church,   Lafayette.
Music.
Greeting, President   W.   E.   Stone.
Ways in which Farmers'  Institutes may promote
the   agricultural   interests   of   the   State:
By   encouraging   the   agricultural   press.
Alexander  Johnson,   Fort   Wayne.
By    strengthening    agricultural    organizations.
Cal  Husselman,   Auburn.
By     fostering     and     popularising     agricultural
education. II.    I'.    McMahan.    Fairfield.
Discussion. Announcements.
Inspection  of    shops     ami     laltoratorles    of    Ihe
OnlTerslty.
Wednesday, 2:80 p. ta.     J. A. Commons, Center-
villt*,  presiding.—Chairmen's Session.
.Musi,-.
How   lo   hold   a   successful   Institute:
Preliminary   call   of   local   workers.
(__'.    II.   Benjamin,   LeRoy.
Choosing   subjects.
H.   P.   Hines,   Booneville.
.Making   up   program.
Selecting  local speakers.
D.   B.  Johnson.  Mooresville.
1..   C    Hoss,   Kokomo.
Enlisting  the  business  men.
George R. Knlsely, Columbia, City.
Advertising   the  meeting.
J.   II.   Hewitt,   New   Castle.
Securing  and  preparing  the  hall.
J.   J.   Wheeler,   Rome.
Receiving   the   people.
W. C. Goldsmith,  Evansvllle.
e hiding  the   meeting,
D.   F.   Maish,   Frankfort.
Reporting    Ihe    Institute.
II.    M.    Wlduoy,    St.   Joe.
Questions ami general discussion.
Wednesday.    7:30   p.    m.       Mrs.    C.    N.    Limit, r.
Salem,   presiding.
Music.
How the Farmers' Institute can Interest the school
children   in   agriculture.
Prof. Stanley M. Coulter.
Musi.-.
What    tin*   agricultural    college    can    tlo    for    the
fanner's   sous   and   daughters.
President   Stone,
Musi,-.
What   training   for   home   making,   in   Ihe   college
education   of  girls,   is   accomplishing.
Miss Laura O. Day, Manhattan. Kans.
Instructor in domestic science for the win*..
cimr.se   in   agriculture.
Music.
Thursday, '.)::» a. m. \j. M. Set
. presiding.
hertnerhorn,   Rrim-
lield.  presiding.
Musi.-.
Prayer.
Rev.   II.   I..  Kindts, pastor Weal   Lafayette M.  1'..
tliur, li
Music.
Suggestion*   fur  enlarging  and   improving  Ihe  In-
si it tile  work:
As   to   number  and  location of  meetings-Scoiie
of Ihe work—Supervisions, etc.
I'rof   Vt'.   C.   Latta.
As   to   local  organization   for  Institute  work.
L.    B.    Clore.    Franklin.
As to reaching the home and its inmates.
Mrs,    R.   A.   Hume,   Plymouth.
As to enlisting young men.
K.    A.    Metzger,   Granger.
As  lo specialized  programs  and special sessions.
J. B.  l'.iuiis. Cloverdale.
As to co-operation among farmers and with men
in   other  pursuits.
Milton Trusler, Connersvllle.
Thursday, 1:30 p. m.     C. C. Dawson, Grand View,
presiding.—Speaker's Session.
Music.
Miscellaneous   business,   report  of   committee     on
resolutions,    qualifications    of    speakers    and
methods of instruction:
The   local   speaker.
U. M. Stewart, Madison.
The assigned  speaker.
George   W.    Dorrell,    East   Enterprise.
Most   effective   Instruct ion.
Isaiah    lmler,   .Rochester.
Means of llustration.
L.  A.  Stockwell,  Cloverdale.
Advice to speakers.
Superintendent Farmers' Institutes.
Questions and  suggestions.
A large number of county institute chairmen and a number of institute speakers
have been assigned places on the program.
The topics for discussion are of special
importance to Institute Officers and Workers, but the farmers in general will find
much of interest and value in the proceedings of the Conference.
The Central Passenger Association has
authorized a rate of one fare for the round
trip on presentation of certificates signed
I iv tin* Superintendent of Farmers' Institutes. These certificates and fnll official
program of the Conference, announcing
special rates at hotels, can be obtained by
addressing W. C.  Latta,  Lafayette,  Ind.
The attendance will be larger than at
any preceeding Conference. The advanced registration list already shows
thai 82 of the 92 counties of the State will
be represented. It is confidently expected
that each of the remaining ten counties
will be represented by the county chairman, or his deputy. In addition to these
official delegates an equal, or greater number of visitors have signified their intention to attend.
The Conference will afford an excellent
opportunity to meet wide awake farmers
who are prominently identified with the
Institute work, from all parts of the State.
Each certificate must bear the name of
the delegate, as well as the signature of
lin* Superintendent of Farmers' Institutes.
This should be bmne in mind in* applying
for certificates. W. C. Latta.