The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-07

Ice il a luxury wl'ch farmers generally
do not possess, and yet can easily obtain.
All required is small expenditure for a
cheap ice house and n few days labor to
fill it at a time when other work is slack.
The luxury of ice upon the table, the doing
away of butter hanging in the well, the
preservation of food material generally,
the ability to command the temperature of
the milk room in the summer-these arc
but few of the values which can be gained
from the ice house on the farm. 1t may
require little resolution tor the farmer to
leave the fresidc on frosty day, shovel
the snow from the creek, cut and draw the
ice but one summers experience with it
will make the next winters task easy
enough 1t is not difficult thing to house
the ice. One of the best methods we have
seen is described by correspondent of the
Country Gentleman as follows:
All that IS necessary is TO build of liberal
DIMENSIONS provide drainage so that no
water can stand under the ice, in contact
with it he sure and trap the drain; en-
close tn, ice with double walls of studs
and board partitions, having at least thirty
inches between the boards; fill the space
with dry sawdust or dry tanbark (thc for
mcr is pr, ierable), and pack it closely;
build the walls at least one foot above the
top of the ice; leave openings SO that the
air may circulate freely through the house
over the ice; roof so as to exclude rain,
and bank around the building with earth so
rs to prevent air from escaping from the
house, under or through the foundations;
and cover the ice with not more than ten
or twelve inches of dry sawdust. No straw,
tan, saw dust or other material is required
unier or between the layers of the ice. l
usually make the floor, on which the ice
rests. of any rough wood, laid closely on
the earth. Neither stone nor brick founda-
tons are necessary. Blocks on which to
rest the stills, laid on the ground properly
levellod, are a good foundation. Three by
four inch scantlng are heavy enough for
the stills, studding and plates. The boards
forming the double walls of siding, enclos-
ing the sawdust filling, should be placed on
the outside of the inner row of studding,
and on the inner side of the outer row.
When sided thus, very little mailing is re.
quircd, as the pressure OF the dust on either
side keeps the board walls against the stud
ding The dust should rest on board
floor few inches from the earth, that it
may not absorb moisture from it. Half
inch bolts should be used to bolt the inner
and outer rows of studding together. to
prevent the dust or other filling from spread
ing them apart; one every four feet in the
height of the studs is all that is required
The earth embankment all around the
building should be closely packed against
the outer board, and it can be conveniently
obtained without eXcavating trench around
the building, it is better to avoid making a
trench; but the water from the roof, and
that which falls or flows around he build
ing, should be conveyed from it by good
Surfapa 1roipnun iS hottar In nrpIopt
the caves of the roof well, unless cutters
are provided, SO that the roof water may
not wash the embarked earth from the
buildings. Cutters are preferable. The
door for filling should extend from sill to
caves plate. No hinges are required fol-
the door, There should be double rows OF
cleats on each of the wide door-jambs be.
tween each double row bin boards shoulc
be loosely inserted as the filling OF tho
house advances, and the space between
them should be finally filled with dust, the
same as the remainder of the walls. Ih'
ice may be removed through the same doc,
by removing the loose boards, and the saw
dust in tho doorway should be thrown il
around the ice. AS the ice melts next t.
the walls, the space should be filled witt
dry dust. The filling in the doorway shou't
always be maintained one foot higher thai
the bulk of icc When the house is filled
the ice should be so placed as to be highes
in the centre, and should be so kept
throughout the season in which it is used
that the melted DRAWINGS from its uppe
surface may flow off towards the wall ant
thence to the floor, instead of filterinl
through the main body of the mass of ice
This prccaution alone, when l have rec
commended its strict observance, has Sc
cured the keeping of ice throughout TIN
season in houses before considered worth
less. Too much covering material on thu
ice in the house, particularly if it is allowed
to fcrment, is worse than too little.