St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-01-26
Chr Farm
HINTS ON KEEPING ICE.
Correspondence of the cALrDomAS.I

Correspondence Of the ChLEDonAH'J
What an unusually fine harvest Of
ice one can gather these days, as re-
CARDS quality and quantity; and
why not? For if one doubts that
the frigidity Of the weather has been
sufficient 10 accomplish 1t, all ne VIII
have to do is to look up the GALE
DOMAINS register for the three
weeks from Dee. II 10 AN. 10, in
elusive, or even up to date, and will
readily understand why we should
have ice-and frozen water pipes.
Now as ice is n very convenient
commodity to the average family,
especially to every farmer, and as
one can get supply this season
without the asking, why not put in
a stock, though it may seem for the
present as though one would never
need it; for one can easily and cheap
" provide quarters for it, if not al
ready provided, for an ice house OF
the most primitive construction,
made of refuse lumber and forked
sticks will do. We will give a few
hints on keeping ice which have
proved quite successful with us.
These hints were obtained from a
dairyman who has always been
successful in keeping ice while his less
fortunate neighbors have exhausted
their stock before the end OF the
season.
With that, as with everything else,
he said, there are varying clrcun-
stances and conditions to be met
and overcome, in order to success
fully store ice. Yet general princi-
pies that apply to most cases can be
briefly stated as follows: The nearer
air tight the surrounding walls are,
the less space is required between
tho ice and the wall to he filled with
sawdust, or other pon-conductor of
air or heat, hence causing the ice to
melt. Once beginning thus, it falls
away, causing the air to penetrate,
till the ice is entirely lost. One
may notice that when he handles his
old sawdust, prior to putting in new
stock, it is dry and light; and it be-
ing an absorbent one would scarcely
expect it would be in that dry con
dition after being in contact with
the ice all summer, which will melt
more or less when handling and
using it.
Twelve to lS inches between walls
and ice should be filled if the walls
are pervious to more or less air, and
from two to four inches il walls are
impervious to air The bottom
should be so arranged as to keep all
air from outside from getting i'll;
if it does get i'll you may expect your
ice to disappear, beginning from the
bottom and working up. Again.
drainage is essential for the escape
of the ice that may melt. Some raise
the flooring tier couple OF inches or
so, off from the bottom, for drain
age and dead air space, though more
care has to be taken to keep the out
side air out, or else you will have a
circulation, which will prove disas-
trous.
The top should be covered not
over four inches in depth with saw
dust, with an additional few inches
Of straw-oat is prelerable-kcpt
wet down. Though every other way
too much care can not be exercised
III keeping fresh air from penetrating
to your ice, free circulation should
be secured over the top of your ice, or
n good ventilation at least. The
amount of ice in body has not so
much to do about it's keeping, as
the other essential points the princi-
pal Of which have been named.
J. {. U.