White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-11-16
Msefnl aud Curious.


1t win soon be time for those who intend to build
ice houses for the coming winter, to be engaged
IN preparing them, and every farmer should have
one. The following suggestions are taken from
al article on this subject contributed 70 the spring
field Homestead by Mr.. Hyde:
The first ice house We built, some twenty years
since, was placed under ground ten feet deep, and
laid up log house fashion with chestnut saplings,
hewn eight inches square. 1t wss furrowod out,
lined and fllsd between the lining and the logs
with fine charcoal. The roof was also lined and
filled between the lining and shingles with straw,
making an excellent rendezvous FOR the humble
bees. Notwithstanding all the fixings, this house
kept ice only tolerably WELL and after the FIRST Of
September the ice very cOOlly gave ont
Chestnut is . very -seed timber to last in the
ground, but We have never seen any timber that
can long endure the combined action of moisture,
air and dirt, and after few years the chestnut
ice house began to cave in. Living in the vicinity
off marble quarry, we determined to have house
that would not rot and 80 built the walls Of stone,
lining and filing just as before, charging the
borders however, as we were satisfied large mass
Of ice keeps better than small one. This an
swered good purpose, and kept ice from one
winter to another, but demand forice springingup
among our neighb0rs, we raised the roof six feet,
placing stills ON the stone walls, and studding and
boarding the part above ground. We found the
ice kept just as well above ground as below. The
market for ice increasing, we Last winter slowed
away some forty tons in q barn, packing it in q
bay sixteen feet square, and find that it keeps
even better than in the ice house. Any one who
has an old shed wood house, has all the essen
tials for an ice house. corner of the shed may
be rough boarded at q trifling expense, and will
answer every purpose of hundred dollar ice house.
space ten feet square and eight feet high will
hold twenty tons, sufficiency for any ordinary
family. No pains need be taken to double board
the sides. The ice may waste some with So little
protection, but with plenty of saw dust to fall
down the sides it melts, it is soon protected by
. breastwOrk as securely as General Jackson
behind his cotton bags.
The great secrets in preserving ice are to pack
it well, cover it with an abundance of saw dust,
and give it good ventilation. If the house is ten
feet square it will be found very convenient to
saw the cakes Of ice two feet square, as they will
thus pack away without any waste space, and in
like manner with any sized house, the cake should
be sawed so as Just to fill it; If any seams occur
between the cakes they must be well filed with
pounded Ice so as to prevent all circulation Of air
in the interior, and make the whole mass of ice
near one solid cake as possible. To consolidate
the cakes, We have sometimes thrown on few
pals of water with each layer of ice, but this is
not essential if the interstices well filed.
For a covering we have never found any non
conductor 30 good as saw dust. A sprinkling of
this should also he placed on the ground before
the ice is put in to prevent the earth from affect
ing the ice Saw dust is neat, cheap, porous, and
does not decay and become musty as readily as
straw. If the dust is not easily obtained, rye
straw answers good purpose, but the former is
both cheaper and more efficient. Every farmer
must have noticed how the snow and ice are pre-
served in his wood yard under the dust, sometimes
into June. This fact proves that no great skill is
requisite in keeping ice; very possibly an awning
to keep of the s1n aud warm rains, and plenty of
saw dust to prevent the access of heat, will an
swer every purpose ofan elaborate house. Certain
it is, We have seen it well preserved under an
ordinary shed, with the rudest siding. The higher
the rOof and the purer the circulation of air
above the ice the better.