104 THE FAT OF THE LAND 
inside fences to stretch and staple; but mind, 
no barbed wire is to be put on top of inside 
fences. 
«These five jobs will keep you busy for the 
next two months, for there’ll be only four men 
besides yourself to do them. I am going to set 
Sam at the chicken plant. Ill see you before 
long, and we’ll go over the cow and hog plans; 
but you have your work cut out for the next two 
months. By the way, how much of an ice-house 
shall I need ?” 
«“ How many cows are you going to milk?” 
« About forty when we run at full speed; per- 
haps half that number this year.” 
«“ Well, then you’d better build a house for 
four hundred tons. That won’t be too big when 
you are on full time, and it’s a mighty bad thing 
to run short of ice.” 
I saw Nelson the same day and contracted 
with him for an ice-house capable of holding 
four hundred tons, for $900. The walls of the 
house to be of three thicknesses of lumber with 
two air spaces (one four inches, the other two) 
without filling. As a result of the conference 
with Thompson, I had, before the first of March, 
a wood-house full of wood, which seemed a sup- 
ply for two years at full steam; an ice-house 
nearly full of ice; two serviceable bridges across 
the brook; the wire fencing almost completed ; 
and eighty loads of gravel, about one-third of 
what I needed. The whole cash outlay was, — 
