58 



THE CANA DIA N HOR TJ C UL JURIS 7 '. 



genial weather. In the warmer and more fav- 

 ored portions of the country this may have 

 taken place. Their pruning must be deferred 

 till flowering is over, after which they may be 

 hard cut back if strong and vigorous. They 

 can then be reduced within proper bounds. In 

 the case of weakly specimens of Chimonanthus 

 it is better to leave a sufficiency of wood to 

 cover the nakedness of the walls The pruning 



of Lonicera sempervirens and many Roses may 

 be accomplished at once if they are perfectly 

 hardy, making allowance for those roses which 

 flower all along the wood of last year on the 

 side shoots of the same. Lilacs, Guelder roses 

 and Mock Oranges should receive the necessary 

 pruning after they have finished flowering in 

 summer." 



A SMALL ICEHOUSE. 



^■H||OW that we have found how important a 

 <3|wH| feature of a fruit storage house cold air 

 ■^ r// fornis, every enterprising fruit grower 

 -^\| will be interested in providing means 

 for its production. By and by, when liquid air 

 is a commercial article, no doubt we can do 

 away with frozen water, but in the meantime it 

 is important to lay in a supply of ice and this is 

 usually the best month for storing it. Dierhold, 

 in American Agriculturist, gives valuable hints 

 intended for a cheap family ice house, but the 

 principles are the same as for a larger one, so we 

 give them place : 



*' So far as ice is concerned, the best economy 

 is to use it in profusion. Have as much as you 

 want, but cut and store the ice yourself, or buy 

 it at wholesale in winter, when it is cheap. 

 Every family that has room enough out of doors 

 for a small icehouse will save money by building 

 one. It should be as much a part of the estab- 

 lishment as the refrigerator in the kitchen. Ice 

 melts faster in free air than in confined air, fas- 

 ter in water than in confined air and faster in the 

 sun than irt the shade. It will melt in any ice- 

 house. It simply melts slowly in a good one 

 and rapidly in a poor one. Reduced to its sim- 

 ple elements the success of an icehouse depends 

 upon site, drainage, ventilation and construction. 

 The best site for a family icehouse is some shady 

 place under a tree, or the north side of a build- 

 ing which is also protected from the wind. 

 Shade is of the first importance and shelter from 

 the wind the next, so, if there is a choice, take 

 the shady place. If a good position cannot be 



found, put it anywhere. The melting ice in the 

 house causes a constant flow of water. If the 

 soil on which the house is to stand is sandy or 

 gravelly, and has a gentle slope, there is nothing 

 to do but dig a cellar about two feet deep and 

 fill it with stones. Cover the upper layers with 

 small stones and sand. This will make the floor 

 on which the ice is to rest. The water will 

 escape easily through the sand and stones and 

 there will be no chance for currents of air to 

 flow upward into the house. 



The tendency of the air in a badly made ice- 

 house is always to flow through it. Therefore, 

 while there must be drainage, there must also 

 be an absence of inlets for air. If the soil is 

 wet and not easily drained, the surface must be 

 covered two feet thick with stones and the house 

 placed on top of this. If this is done, the sides 

 of the stone work must be made tight with mor- 

 tar to prevent the entrance of air. If provision 

 must be made for carrying off the water, the 

 pipe must be trapped to prevent the air from 

 entering the pipe and thus getting into the house. 



A well drained foundation having been pre- 

 pared, a wooden sill must be laid, on which the 

 walls are to rest. On this sill will rest the up- 

 rights. These may be simply planks eight in- 

 ches wide and two inches thick. They may be 

 placed at intervals on the sill and held in place 

 by a stringpiece on top. On the outside of the 

 uprights may be nailed boards with battens or 

 clapboards. On the inside they are simply 

 boarded up with cheap stuff. The whole aim 

 is to make a hollow wall. The space between 



