1847. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



27 



The common Ice-honse below gro, 

 tory manner, v>e addressed ourself to Mr. N. J. Wykth, of 

 Cambridge, Mass., whose practical information on this sub- 

 ject is probably fuller and more complete than that of any 

 other person in the country, he, for many years, having had 

 the construction and management of the enormous commer- 

 cial ice-hoiises near Boston — the largest and most perfect 

 known. 



We desired Mr. Wyeth's hints for building an ice-house 

 for family use, both above ground and below ground. 



In the beginning, we should remark that the great ice- 

 houses of our ice companies are usually built above ground; 

 and Mr. Wyeth in his letter to us remarks, " we nownever 

 hiild or use an ice-house under ground; it never preserves 

 ice as well as those built above ground, and costs much 

 m )re. I. however, send you directions for the construction 

 o.' both kinds, wiih slight sketches in explanation."' The 

 following are Mr. Wylth's directions for building : 



" \st. An Ice-honse nbore ground. An ice-house above 

 ground shouW be built upon the plan of having a double 

 partition, with the hollow space between filled with some 

 non-conducting substance. 



'* In the first place, the frame of the sides should be formed 

 of two ranges of upright joists, 6 by 4 inches ; the lower 

 ends of the joists should be put into the ground w'/tliout any 

 sill, which is apt to let air pass through. These two ranges 

 of joists should be about two feet and one-half apart at the 

 bottom, and two feet at the top. At the top these joints 

 should be morticed into the cross-beams, which are to sup- 

 port the upper floor. The joists in the two ran^res sho Id 

 be placed each opposite anotiier. They should then be 

 lined or faced on one side with rough boarding, which need 

 not be very tight. This boarding should be nailed to those 

 edges of the joists nearest each other, so that one range oi 

 joists shall be outside the building, and the other inside the 

 ice-room or vault. 



" The space between these boardings or partitions should 

 be filled with wet tan, or sawdust, whichever is cheapest or 

 most easily obtained. The reason for using u-(t material 

 for filling this space is, that during winter it freezes, and un- 

 til it is again thawed, little or no ice will melt at the sides of 

 the vault. 



' ' The bottom of the ice vault should be filled about a foot 

 deep with small blocks of wood ; these are levelled and cov- 

 ereU with wood shavings, over which a strong plank floor 

 should be laid to receive the ice. 



" Upon the beams above the vault, a pretty tight floor 

 should also be laid, and this floor should be covered several 

 inches deep with dry tan or sawdust. The roof of the ice- 

 house should have considerable pitch, and the space between 

 the upper floor and the roof should be ventilated by a lattice 

 window at each gable end, or something equivalent, to pass 

 out the warm air which will accumulate beneath the roof. 

 A door must be provided in the side of the vault to fill and 

 discharge it ; but it should always be closed up higher than 

 the ice, and when not in use should be kept closed aUogethcr. 



"2d. An Ice-house beloii> ground. This is only thorough- 

 ly made by building up the sides of the pit with a good 

 brick or stone wall, laid in mortar. Inside of this wall set 

 joists, and build a light wooden partition against which to 

 place the ice. A good floor should be laid over the vault as 

 just described, and this should also he covered with dry tan 

 or sawdust. In this floor the door must be cut to give access 

 to the ice. 



" As reiards the bottom of the vaidt, the floor, the lattice 

 windows in the gables for ventilation, etc., the same re- 

 marks will apply that have just been given for the ice-house 

 above ground, with the addition that in one of the gahhs 

 in this case, must be the door for filling the house with ice! 



" If the ground where ice-houses of either kind are built] 

 is not porous enough to let the melted ice drain away, theii 

 there should be a waste pipe to carry it off, which should be 

 slightly bent, so as always to retain enough water in it to 

 prevent the passage of air upwards into the ice-house." 



In tlie article we have quoted from are two 

 fine engravings of ornamental Ice-houses above 

 ground, and illustrations of the mode of building 

 referred to by Mr. Wyeth. The descriptions 

 here given are probably sufficiently intelligible 

 to be understood by all without these. The fig- 

 ure given shows simply the roof of a common 

 underground Ice-house, ornamented with trees, 

 &c., making it a pleasing object. 



Public Pleasure Grounds, &c. 



We learn from the "Tenessee Farmer and 

 Horliculturist," that the Nashville Horticultural 

 Society, in connection with other citizen.s, have 

 held a meeting for the purpose of considering 

 "the propriety of purchasing land, for the estab- 

 lishment of a garden for horticultural improve- 

 ment and ornamental pleasure grounds." It was 



' 'R^solred, That a cotnmittee of three be appointed for the 

 purpose of obtaining subscribers, in shares of 50 dollars each 

 for the purpose of purchasing a suitable lot of ground for 

 carrying the views of the Society into execution." 



This is certainly a gratifying demonstration of 

 public spirit, and augurs well for the advancement 

 of gardening in the west. 



Public grounds, of the character projected here, 

 should be established and .sustained, if possible, 

 by every city in the Union. They would be 

 great sources of profitable instruction, as well as 

 of delightful recreation and amusement. People 

 must and will have amusement of some sort or 

 other, and if a public taste of this kind were cul- 

 tivated, and ample means provided far its gratifi- 

 cation, it would be the means of keeping thou- 

 sands of the youth of the country from vain and 

 idle past-times, that scarcely ever'fail to eno-ender 

 vicious and ruinous habits. But few appreciate 

 the influence of places of public amusements and 

 recreations on the moral and intellectual character 

 of the people. 



If we had spacious and beautiful public grounds, 

 collections of trees and plants, interesting lec- 

 tures and reading rooms, public libraries in all 

 our towns and cities, sustained by the vigorous 

 support of those whose interests alone should urge 

 them to support such institutions, we should not 

 be disgusted, as we now are, by seeing our young 

 people flock to circus exhibitions, theatre.s, two 

 penny concerts, balls, and the thousand catch- 

 penny movements of that sort that literally swarm 

 in this country, there to gape and stare and frit- 

 ter away their money, and what is more, their 

 valuable time, and unfit themselves for high and 

 worthy pursuits. Philanthropists! you cannot 

 take up a better subject. 



