The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-12-21
lCEHOUSE BUILDING.
Short Range Observations and Ex-
perIence of Western Farmer.

Bile short range observation | know
that very satisfactory icehouse can
be made by using poles for the sides
and roofs. says a Country Gentleman
writer When timber is as cheap COM
pared with lumber as it is in many
places, this is the cheapest icehouse
that can be made Double sides are
not needed. All that is needed is some
thing to hold Il foot of saWdust about
the ice. The poles or logs used need
not tit tight together. They must be
so close together that the rain will not
beat into any extent between them,
and aside from this it would be neces-
sary to notch the poles to make a solid
structure.
Ice will keep in house made in this
way better than in one with tight
board sides. Why this is so l do not
know. Perhaps the limited circulation
of air over the sawdust Mt the sides
permitted by the spaces between the
poles and which | have heard it said
cools the sawdust by evaporating the
moisture from it may be, in part at
least, responsible for this. think to
this must be credited the fact that the
poles do not rot very rapidly. although
they are always damp to some extent.
And as the poles are so much thicker
than boards the house lasts longer. OF
course one should only use poles of
wood that resstS dampness we'll In
the places where | have seen most of
these pole icehouses white oak, which
resistS moisture we'll (and, while not
abundant. is not scarcel. is generally
used for this purpose. | suppose that
Il house built of elm poles, for exam
pie, would not last long. for elm rots
rapidly when kept moist
Reverting to the alleged and proba-
bic beneficial effects of air circulation
over the saWduSt, is it not true that an
icehouse should be put in an airy place?
think that the ideal location is under
the protection of 4 spreading tree, near
hilltop whore there is apt to he
good breeze and where there is Il slight
slope. Tie slope aids in draining the
house and good drainage is all impor-
tamt Where stone is plentiful proba-
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IN oocb .orbn. side Inv Si.1a rs nnssfbIn
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h,.,,,lI,,,fsd t,u,t,
,rborrl, b,vn hoard if Jjsnutod
vnt hnlinre tbot tbr Iarrpr tho house
fine hottnr fine ice will keen 7 believe
thot This is trun nm to tbc limit Of size
of farm icehousos ot least II is Ger
toinlv hotter to have the house too
loron thon ton small Ice pronerly used
is highly beneficial; it adds much to
the nln,sure of the fable. if fakes away
from tbe discomfort of the long. hot
DAYS in the field. and if kecns fresh
vegetables fruits and butter from los
inc ouality and value. There aroItens
Of thousands of farmers who dJ not
have ice who would have it if they
ONLY knew how CHEAP it is.
The average farmers family should
have an icehousc Mt least / / feet square
on the inside. Putting a foot of saw
dust around the sides between the ice
and the house will make a space for
ice 10 feet square. The roof of this pole
icehouse can be of ANYTHING that will
certainly keep out rain and snow. I
have seen some icehollses rooted with
straw. | do not recommend this, how
ever. because n straw roof is rarely the
cheanpst i'm thn end.
If remember rightly. Waldo f.
Brown saws to put a rather high gable
roo II the fcehouse and leave the ga
bles zen This wouId give the necessa-
nv ltilation all right. and TO have
pic - Of air moving over the ton of
the o is almost rs inportant rs good
| droinaoe Rut i'm tbis mart of tho conn
trv-it may no loss hreezv in southern
! Obio-Inoving tbo col,Ies oman ,vould
/