The Forrest City times., 1914-12-11
Diagram Showing Cross constructon Farm e.f
 erator-A Detail of Wall tion-C, Floor Plan-D View - ~ ~

Prepared by the United States Depart
 ment of Agrieulture)
 The cost of constructing a refrig- orator or an ice chest is small in com parison with economic returns and the comfort they offer the farmer. They are even of greater importance in the country than in the city, although many of our rural population do not avail themselves of the opportunity to enjoy the luxury of ice.
 The United States department of az riculture in farmers bulletin (No. 475) on Ice Houses" outlines the manner of construction of a farm re- frigerator large enough to meet the requirements of well-equipped farm for the storage of butter, eggs and fresh meats and for chilling fruit in small quantities.
 This refrigerator can be constructed in a cellar, in the lean-to of an ice house, or in any other farm building where convenient and suitable protec- tion can be provided. If none of these alternatives is possible the refrigera. tor may be constructed as an inde- pendent building. If built as a sepa- rate structure the same care in the choice of a site should be exercised as in choosing the location of an icehouse. The construction is shown in detail in Fig. l. The essential feature is well-insulated room containing an ice rack, drip pan and drain. This refrig- orator is 8 by 10 feet and has floor space 6 by s feet available for the storage of produce.
 Such an arrangement will require about 100 tons of ice during the year, but it can be used to hold eggs and butter over the season of abundant production. supply of fresh meat can be kept by such means in locali- ties where distributing wagons are not run, and even where local sup ply is available the producer can ar range to supply his table at wholesale rather than retail prices by killing his own sheep, pigs or veal. Instances are known where an equipment of this sort has paid for itself in single season through the advance secured by holding the egg output for only 60 days Dealers purchase and store eggs while they are most abundant and dispose of them during the sea son of less abundant production at an advanced price A well-con~ ~tructed and well-handled refrigerator of this kind on the farm will enable the pro ducer to keep this profit at home
 Construction of Ice Chest.
 Where a less expensive cooler is desired an ice chest will be found to serve a useful purpose. Such chest can be made from two boxes, one l2 inches longer and wider than the other and inches deeper. If the inner box is feet wide, feet deep and feet long. the outer box should be feet wide, feet long and 50 inches deep. The inner box, which should be made of matched white pine or cypress, should be lined with zinc and provided with a drip pipe in the bottom near one end and metal grat' ing 12 inches from that end. so as 10 make a cage in which to store blocK of ice. A layer of inches of cork dust or dry white pine shavings should be placed in the bottom of the larger box after 1t has been lined with water proof building paper Place the smaller box on the layer of insulation, making provision for the drain, and then pack the same insulating material tightly in the space between the outer and the inner box. Fit board over the packing between the boxes so as to cover the edge of both. Then hinge a thick, well-insulated cover to the en- tire top of the chest The joints can be made tight by weather strips and felt The cover should be provided with a counter weight and a good ice chest hasp to hold it in place.
 How to Make Ice.
 Where there are no ice ponds block ice can be made easily by allowing water to freeze in cans of heavy gal vanized iron provided with a heavy band-iron or wire reinforcement around the top. Any tinsmith can make such cans.
 ]" The cans should be of the dimen'