370 THE VILLA GARDENER. 



ice. This mode of keeping ice was first adopted by Mr. James Yoimg, gar- 

 dener at Willford House, Nottinghamshire. He was induced to try it, because 

 the icehouse there was placed in a very exposed situation, the sun shining on 

 it from rising to setting. Before the use of salt, it was found impossible to 

 keep the ice above a year; but, afterwards, it was kept three years, and the 

 last of it was found to be as good as the first. 



456. The ice-cellar. — The cool temperature by which the ice must be sur- 

 rounded, to make it keep, has suggested the idea of forming niches or shelves 

 within the ice-house, or in the passage leading to it, for keeping articles cool 

 in the summer season. This has been tried with great success in the case of 

 common ice-houses ; and it would in all probability succeed in the case of 

 ice-cellars, though the difficulty in this last case would perhaps be increased 

 from the want of ventilation. We have already, in this work, expressed our 

 opinion, that it would be more convenient to have the place for keeping the 

 ice connected with the dwelling-house, either as a cellar under the living- 

 rooms, or as a cellar under some of the out-door offices, and to place it under 

 the care of the butler, than to form it in the park or pleasure-grounds, and 

 place it under the care of the gardener. However, as the common preju- 

 dice is in favour of ice-houses built in the usual manner in the open grounds, 

 we shall here describe one of these formed according to the best principles. 



4.'57. Out-of-door ice-houses. — Where the soil is wet, and does not admit of 

 underground drainage, the icehouse may be constructed above the natural 

 surface, and afterwards surrounded and covered with a mound of earth; it 

 being farther protected from the heat by trees or shrubs, or what is perhaps 

 preferable to either, by a covering of giant ivy. The common form of out- 

 door ice-houses is an inverted cone, and the supposed advantage of this form 

 is, that as part of the ice thaws, the remainder slides down the sides of the 

 cone, and still keeps in one compact body. This is no doubt true ; but the 

 advantage by no means compensates for the difficulty of constructing an ice- 

 house in the conical form. A plain square room, with double side walls, say 

 a foot apart, a double arch over, and a double floor under, which can be built 

 with the same ease as any common cellar, will, all other circumstances being 

 alike favourable, keep the ice as long as any conical form whatever. Where 

 there is a doubt of being able to exclude the heat, treble walls, roof, and 

 floor may be resorted to ; and the entrance, which should always be three or 

 four yards in length, instead of being straight, may be made crooked, with a 

 door at each turn. The space between at least two of the doors should 

 always be filled with straw ; and, to render the removal of this straw easy, 

 when there was occasion to pass from the outer door to the ice, it might be 

 put into two or more canvass bags, like immense cushions, which might be 

 hooked to the ceiling and the sides, so as to close up every interstice. The 

 space between the second and third doors may be widened, and fitted up 

 with shelves for holding articles which require to be kept cool, but not to the 

 same degree as if they were placed in the ice-house. Fig. 2^9. is a section, 

 and fig. 220. a ground plan, of an ice-house on the inverted cone principle, 

 but of an improved construction. This form, as usually employed in English 

 country seats, frequently fails in keeping the ice, from not having double 

 walls and double or treble doors, or from imperfect drainage; but the plan 

 now submitted is free from these defects, and will keep ice throughout the 

 year in any climate, if covered with a sufficient thickness of earth or straw. 



