360 FRUIT-ROOMS. 



and the space between these, about eighteen inches, 



is stuffed with tan, saw- 

 dust, and shavingrs. The 

 outer room, which is 

 filled with ice, is just 

 above the fruit-room 

 proper, and at its back, (a, a) are ventilators, 

 which receive the cold air as it falls from the ice, 

 and (h) is another in the door of the room 

 which governs the current of air, and therefore the 

 meltino; of the ice. The water is discharg-ed from 

 the floor of the apartment into the open air, by 

 means of a pipe, which should be provided with a 

 faucet, and the water let off at stated times ; other- 

 wise a strong current of air would be created, like 

 that circulating through the room. The top of the 

 fruit-room proper must be strongly built, and cov- 

 ered with zinc, to support the immense weight and 

 prevent leakage. While the structure remains in 

 good order, the design seems to be accomplished. 

 Summer fruits, such as strawberries, can thus be kept 

 for a long time. They have been preserved for a 

 month, when fully ripe, but the moisture deprives 

 them of their sprightliness, and it is necessary to eat 

 them immediately upon their exposure to the air. 

 The fault of the invention is that the moisture 

 and a constant circulation of air encourages fungi, 

 which destroy the life of the timbers which settle 

 under the weight of the superincumbent ice, and 



