Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1920-01-20

prepared by the United States Depart.
ment of Agriculture)
Each year dairymen lose thousands
of dollars from returned sour milk.
poor butter, and low-quality cheese.
These losses are largely due to i'm
proper cooling of milk and cream on
the farm, according to dairy special
lists. For good results milk and cream
should be cooled to 80 degrees or lower
and held there; and as this usually can
best be done by the use of Ice, dairy
men should take advantage Of any
nearby lake or stream to obtain a
supply Of ice for next year.
Ice Costs Little.
The Ice harvesting season fortunate
~ comes at time when there is the
least work on the farm for men and
teams, and consequently the actual
money cost is usually not very great.
The quantity Of ice needed depends
upon the location of the farm-whether
In the North or In the South, the nuna-
Der of COWS MIXED, and the method OF
handing the product In the northern
states it has been found that, with
moderately good ice house, one-half of
ton of ice per COW is sufficient to
cool cream and hold it at low temper
allure for delivery two or three times a
week. One and one-half or two tons
per COW should be provided where milk
is to be cooked.
Capacity of Ice Houses.
A cubic foot of ice weighs about 81
pounds, SO in storing Ice 1t is custom
airy to allow from 40 to SO cubic feet
per ton for the mass Of Ice. At least
II inches must be left between the Ice
and the wall Of the building for in
sulation, unless the Ice house has per-
manently insulated walls and an un-
usually large space for insulation be-
meath and above the ice.
Where a lake, pond, or stream Of
clear water is not available, some pre-
liminary work in preparing the ice
field will be required before freezing
weather sets in 1t is therefore advis-
able to make all plans for the work as
soon as possible. Water for the ice
supply should be entirely free from
contamination or pollution. Ponds and
sluggish streams usually have grass
and weeds growing In them, so that the
ice harvested is likely to contain de-
cayed vegetable matter, which is al
ways Objectionable. They should,
therefore, be thoroughly cleared of
such growtffs before the ice has formed.
In some sections it is necessary to
impound the water for producing ice.
This may be done either by excavating,
and divertfng stream Into the ex-
cavation, or by constructing dams
across low areas In localities where
very low temperatures prevail for sew
eral weeks at a time, and the supply
| of pure water is limited, blocks of Ice
may be frozen in metal cans or In
special fiber containers
In harvesting ice 1t is desirable to
have a field of sufficient size to fill the
Ice house at a single cutting, as the
thickness and quality OF the ice will
be more NEARLY uniform; and the neces-
sary preparation for cTtting and har-
veSting need be made but once. Ia
many instances. however, the size of
the pond or stream is such that it is
necessary to wait for a'second crop in
order tosTill the ice house. The aver
age farmer requires only a compare
| lively small quantity of ice, so that
even "a snail harvesting surface will
usually prove large enough. especially
| II ice is scut the second time. The
square feet of surface required per ton
when ttheiice is of different tnicknesses