Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-06

T seems like an anomaly, but the
= more trouble keeping perishable
food cold IN winter than In summer.
They DO not take ice, rs IT seems
absurd to do so after tho outdoor air
reaches freezing AND below. In some
places there is so little demand for ice
that II cannot even be got At al
hazards II 10 q bit of wastefulnese. And
yet In some houses arrangements are
- unsatisfactory for keeping food cold
without tee that there is more food
spoilee IN winter than IN summer.
IN some cities even tho apartment
houses are provided with simple de-
vioes that makes II possible TO keep
food conveniently placed IN a small
cupboard on an outside wall OF the
kitchen where II can be got from in
side easily and where the cold currents
Of air from outside keep II at low
temperature But strangely enough in
some Of the largest cities and some OF
the supposedly most progressive cities
appliances of this sort that could be SO
easily and inexpensively installed at
the time OF putting up apartments are
practically unknown. II is rather dif-
dcult 10 do anything about IT later in
the apartment house. The only place
10 put such a cupboard Is in the out
side wall of the kitchen and needless
TO say no house owner would permit
such a. breaking up of the walls OF his
house
In many a country and suburban
house 81 ie customary 10 keep perish
able food IN a cold part of the cellsr
in a wire screen cupboard Now this
means innumerable needless steps in
the course of the winter. Moreover Il
you have TO go down cellar every time
you get perishahie food you are some
times going 20 leave Il upstairs for
hours when II ought to be In lowered
temperature. This is true OF milk.
which you leave in a warm atmosphere
during long mornings baking just
because you don't want TO take the
extra steps OF putting II UP and getting
L out again.
Other people keep food in the ice box
or refrigerator In the closet or porch
adjoining the kitchen II is no doubt
cold enough there. but II is likewise
damp and a refrigerator never was
built TO be a winter cold closet. Il
cannot be kept well enough ventilated.
Not bad way TO keep milk. butter
and meats is IN box that can hv
reached from the back porch This
should be high enough TO reach con-
veniently and may be provided with q
lock and key so that at night IL can
be protected from theft. But there is
the disadvantage that though the
housewife does not have far TO go 10
get to this closet she does have to ex-
pose herself to the cold.
A Kitchen Window Cold Box.
Now one OF the best solutions for the
small establishment is q cupboard
either placed actually within the wall
on the outside that can be got at from
within and that is ventilated from
without. or window cold box These
are placed in the kitchen window and
really do not look bad and are large
enough to contain all necessary foods.
Although not on sale In all housetur-
nishinR stores they are on the market
and the cost is not great.
Neither would IL be very dificuH
matter for the son or husband of the
family TO make one OF these boxes. II
NAV be a little longer than the width
of the kitchen window. II should be
a couple OF inches higher than quart
nilk bottle and about the same width
The cover may be In two or one parts
the one-piece cover is better because
when there are two covers IL is more
dificult 10 keep snow or rain out. The
cover should be strongly hinged on, 10
open away from the window. with
chains or some other device TO hold II
upright when Il is open IL should
como well over all edges Of the box, TO
protect the box from snow and rain
or course the whole box should b1
covered with some waterproof sheeting
OF sorne sort. but the cover should be
more shickiy and carefully covered
than the rest Then the whole should
he very nrmly fastened TO strong
braces against the side wall OF the
house, with the top Of the box Jewel
with the window sill. Of course. when
ever you use this box. II is necessary
TO lot lot OF cold air into the Kitchen,
but unless bread Is rising. this air is
welcome. or ought to be. And equally
Of course, you must brush off snow
when IT gathers before you can open
the box. That, TOO, is not difficult.
Porous Clay.
Within the last few years we have
come TO use the porous clay coolers
that were brought here from the
tropics-the idea for which. that Is to
say, came from the tropics. These
coolers. as everybody knows by this
time. probably. are kept cool by evapo-
ration. They are soaked in water for
several minutes every two or three
days. and as they are very porous they
absorb much water and IL evaporatas
quickly, thus reducing their tempera-
ture quickly.
In winter one mugt be careful not TO
let these coolers get too cold, as in that
case the water in them would freeze.
But IL they are kept In cool pantry
or even in the kitchen, where there Is
always air stirring 10 induce evapora-