FARM MANAGEMENT 127 



Ice Houses. An ample supply of ice is of greater economic im- 

 portance in the country home than in the city residence. City peo- 

 ple can purchase perishable supplies as needed, but the remoteness 

 of country homes from markets often renders it necessary to use 

 canned, corned, or smoked meat products during the season of the 

 year when the table should be supplied with fresh meats. Not only 

 is ice appreciated because of its use in the preservation of fresh 

 meats, butter, and other table supplies, but the production of high- 

 grade domestic dairy products is almost impossible without it. Many 

 markets to which milk is now shipped demand that it be copied be- 

 fore shipment to a degree not attainable without the use of ice. 



Ice is one of those luxuries which in many sections of the coun- 

 try can be had for the gathering. The cost of harvesting and stor- 

 ing it is not great as compared with the comfort that it brings. 



The work of harvesting and storing is done at a season when 

 it will cost very little, as help and teams are usually less remunera- 

 tively employed during the winter than during the summer months. 

 The cost of constructing ice houses and refrigerators is small in 

 comparison with the economic returns and in the comfort which 

 they afford. 



The storage of ice can be made profitable in many parts of the 

 country by using it to keep milk and cream in better condition. 

 Wherever the natural product can be secured the cost of storing is so 

 small that no one need be without ice on this account. 



On the basis of a 20-cow dairy it requires about 500 pounds of 

 ice to cool the cream annually produced by one cow. To this 

 amount should be added 500 pounds more for waste, or a total of 

 1,000 pounds a year for each cow. This amount is sufficient to keep 

 the cream sweet and in good condition, so that for a herd of 20 

 cows 10 tons of ice would be required. In smaller dairies the waste 

 would be greater and proportionately more ice would be required, 

 while with larger ones a proportionately less amount would suffice. 



The Building. In building an ice house the main object is to 

 secure isolation of the ice by surrounding it with an adequate amount 

 of nonconducting material. The house should have double walls 

 packed with sawdust, a drain at the bottom to carry off water with- 

 out admitting air, and a ventilator at peak of roof to allow vapors 

 to pass out. There should be no windows, and the door should be 

 as nearly airtight as possible. 



There are approximately 50 cubic feet of stored ice to the ton, 

 consequently for 10 tons it would be necessary to fill a space 10 by 

 10 by 5 feet. An ice house for this quantity should be built 12 by 

 12 by 8 feet, which would allow for 12 inches of sawdust on the 

 sides (sufficient to keep ice under ordinary conditions) and enough 

 space on the top for packing and covering the ice. 



In a small ice house there should be about 12 inches of saw- 

 dust between the ice and the walls of the house. Ample ventilation 

 should be provided. The most efficient probably is an opening of 

 a few inches under the eaves. This will allow free circulation of air, 

 but will not permit the rays of the sun to shine on either the 



