Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-12-11

would have an ice-house II it did not
cost so much. Now an ice-house IS one
| Of the most economical and cheap
things in existence, The materials
need cost but q trif1e, and the farmer
can construct the house himself il IL
is desired that the house add TO thesat-
Effectiveness Of the property. and is
placed whore il win Be IN plain view.
then it must be more expensive. But is
can be put in some inconspicuops piece,
or hidden behind trees or vines, in
which case the necessary cost Of it will
be very small.
All that is required Is something that
will keep off rain, and keep q stratum
OF sawdust about the ice. The house
need not be sunk into the ground.
There is no need of double walls. All
parts may be OF the cheapest materials
refuse boards. slabs, even poles, will
do for the sides; and roof of boards
or clapboards will answer as well as
any. Let me describe as satisfac-
tory an ice-house as have vet seen:
1t was in locality where timber was
plenty, and the sides were made of
poles. These were built mp as YOU
would build up a rail pen, being rather
deeply notched to prevent rolling, and
to make the sides rather close. Az
they projected out over the cracks. q
driving rain did not beat in. The pen
was covered over with boards, Tapped
to form a tight roof, and weighted
down with heavy poles. When the ice
was put in, an opening between it and
the poles foot wide was left; and, as
the pile of ice was built up, the sawdust
was packed into this opening. Thus
there was no need of double, walls,
The entire cost of the house-a good
sized one-was not twenty dollars.
There must be good drainage, and
the best way to secure this is to make q
foundation of broken stones; but these
are not necessary. In localitieS-quite
numerous in the West-where stone
are not quite readily obtainable, sticks
of wood, or rail pieces may be used.
Tramp them down solid till you have a
layer foot thick. Then put layer of
sawdust six to eight inches thick upon
this, and it is ready for the ice.
The more ice the better it will keep,
and there must be certain bulk. for
it to keep at all The minimum bulk
that will keep well is twenty-five tons.i
As a ton occupies about forty cubic
feet, you can calculate the dimensions
of the house accordingly. A house
ten feet each way inside the sawdust
will hold twenty-five tons-the mimi
mum amount.
1t is very important to pack the ice
closely, There must be no crevices.
Shape the blocks SO that they will
fit closely together; cover with
layer of sawdust eighteen inches
thick. Then it will require watch
ing in the spring. Even March winds
are sometimes SO warm that they
will melt the ice. As soon as this hap
pens, get on it and tramp it down solid.
closing all holes and crevices. When
air-holes are allowed to form, the ice
will waste rapidly. Ventilation must
be provided for. Windows can be
made in the gables, or make q
projecting roof and leave the gables
open. Get the ice from the purest
source you can.
The proper time to build an ice,
house is now. Have it ready and
fill it at your convenience. After
you have enjoyed the luxury of ice for
one summer, you would not forego it
for five times the labor and expense,
provided you build an ice-house with
out going to too much expense to make
it a nice house.--John N. &dhl. IN
Country Gentleman.