316 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



Indian corn in the tub, in the course of three or four hours, 

 and with small expense of fuel. Fifty bushels of roots can 

 be perfectly cooked in the box, in the same time. For swine, 

 fattening cattle and sheep, milch cows and working horses, 

 and perhaps oxen, a large amount of food may be saved by 

 the use of such or a similar cooking apparatus. The box 

 may be enlarged to treble the capacity of the foregoing, 

 without prejudicing the operation, and even with a boiler of 

 the same dimensions, but it would take a longer time to 

 effect the object. If the boiler were increased in proportion 

 to the box, the cooking process would of course be accom* 

 plished in the same time. 



Fig. 105 is a good form of a steaming apparatus, essen- 

 tially similar in principle to the one described. 



IOE HOUSES. 



These, in the rapid progress of improvement and the in- 

 creasing comforts and luxuries of this country, are justly 

 deemed an important addition to the farm buildings. They 

 are frequently essential to the operations of the dairy, and the 

 preservation of milk, butter and cream for a longer time, 

 and in better condition, than is otherwise attainable. They 

 are also useful for keeping meats, fruits, eggs and vegetables 

 unchanged, for an almost indefinite period. Whether this 

 is done with reference to sending the articles to market at 

 the most convenient or advantageous time, or to their con- 

 sumption at home, it is equally consistent with economy. 



It is not necessary to dig into the earth for the purpose 

 of securing a good ice house. Indeed, a large quantity of ice 

 can be stored more cheaply Fy constructing the ice house 

 above the surface of the ground. The main object is to secure 

 isolation of the ice, and surround it with an adequate bar- 

 rier of non-conducting materials. To do this effectually, a 

 triple wall of plank or boards must be made, from six to 

 eighteen inches apart, and the spaces between each compact- 

 ly filled with straw or tan bark. The bottom must be 

 equally well secured, and have drains for the escape of the 

 water, yet not for the admission of air. The top has a double 

 roof, and a thick coating of straw is spread over the ice. 



The preservation of ice depends, in addition to the foregoing, 

 on the observance of principles, of which many are entirely 

 neglectful. There should be no access to the ice except on 

 the top, and the sides and ends must be perfectly tight 

 Cold air being heavier than warm, in the ratio of its dimin- 



