ROOTS AND VEGETABLES, PITTING. Many farmers in the West, even of those who pay proper attention to the kitchen garden, do not have the cellar room they ought to have; and this, often, from the difficulty and expense in procuring stone for the walls. This, how ever, need not prevent any one from having a good supply of vegetables dusing the winter. They may be kept in pits, or, covered on the surface of the land, in the best possible condi tioh, if the proper plan is adopted for keeping them intact; that is, to keep such as are injured by slight freezing, warm enough, and those which will not be so injured, cool enough. Potatoes, for instance, are ruined by the least frost, so when they receive their final covering for winter the pits should have no ventilation. On the other hand, beets, and especially swedes and common turnips, should be kept quite cold; if of the two latter varieties they may be par tially frozen, and yet come out intact, if allowed to thaw naturally; indeed, we usually allow them to freeze slightly, and place on additional covering to keep them so frozen. Parsnips and salsify, also, are better so frozen, and so are. onions; but beets and carrots, if frozen, are injured. In cold, long winters, pits of potatoes will often freeze, though covered with a great depth of soil. Our rule is to cover with plenty of hay or straw, then with six inches of earth, then another layer of straw, and again six to eight inches of earth.. Thus covered we have never had pits frozen, even in the extremest winters; but in very long, cold spells, we usually add a covering of litter over all. The philoso
phy is this: The frost penetrating to the first covering of straw, is held by the'dead air there, and seldom enters the second layer of earth to any great extent. Parsnips and salsify- may be safely left in the ground whete they grow, all winter; but enough should be put in the cellar, or pits, to last till spring. It is a mistaken notion that these roots are not good until frozen. They are undoubtedly better in the spring; but if left thus until then, the season is so short that but little good is had of them. Late celery is• saved and blanched for winter use by digging shallow trenches about two feet wide, and placing the plants upright therein, as closely together as possible, and yet allow to have earth packed firmly about the plants, and nearly to the tops. When so packed the whole should be covered with rails, so that the litter over all, to keep out the frost, will not press heavily on the plants. It is some trouble to keep celery, but the satisfaction of having this delicious veg etable in winter well repays the cost. When wanted for use the end last packed may be broken into, as much as is desired taken out, and the whole again covered secure, remember ing that fifteen degrees of frost kills this plant.