Storage clamp

a clamp of sugar beet, not covered

A clamp is a compact heap, mound or pile of materials.[1] A storage clamp is used in the agricultural industry for temporary storage of root crops such as potato, turnip, rutabaga, mangelwurzel, and sugar beet.

A clamp is formed by excavating a shallow rectangular depression in a field to make a base for the clamp. Root crops are then stacked onto the base up to a height of about 2 m (6 ft 7 in). When the clamp is full, the earth scraped from the field to make the base is then used to cover the root crops to a depth of several inches. Straw or old hay may be used to protect the upper surface from rain erosion.

A well-made clamp will keep the vegetables cool and dry for many^[vague] months. Most clamps are relatively long and narrow, allowing the crops to be progressively removed from one end without disturbing the remaining vegetables. The use of a clamp allows a farmer to feed vegetables into market over many months.

See also

• Bunker silo – Structure for storing cropsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Prehistoric storage pits
• Food preservation – Inhibition of microbial growth in food
• Root cellar – Structure for storing vegetables, fruits, nuts or other foods
• Brick clamp – Open-air brick kiln
• Charcoal clamp – Covered fire for producing charcoalPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• CLAMP – Manga artist group, an artist collective named after potato clamps[2]

References

1. "Cramp, n.3." Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009
2. "Nanase Okawa" Animerica Anime & Manga Monthly 1997 © Viz Communications, Inc., 172

External links

• How to make a Storage Clamp - Green Chronicle