326 THE dairyman's manual. 



The house for storing the ice must be made with non- 

 conducting walls, a dry foundation, and ample ventila- 

 tion in the roof. A cheap ice-house is as effective, if 

 properly constructed, as the most costly one. There are 

 some general principles to be observed in the proper 

 construction of any kind of ice-house, and all else is of 

 secondary importance. There must be perfect drainage, 

 and no admission of air beneath; ample ventilation and 

 perfect dryness above ; and sufficient non-conductipg 

 material for packmg below, above, and around the ice, 

 by which its low temperature may be preserved. The 

 cheapest ice-house may be made as follows : The founda- 

 tion should be dug about eighteen inches to two feet 

 deep in a dry, gravelly or sandy soil. If the soil is clay, 

 the foundation should be dug two feet deeper, and filled 

 to that extent with broken bricks, coarse gravel, or 

 clean, sharp sand. To make a drain beneath the ice of 

 any other kind than this would be risky, and if not made 

 with the greatest care to prevent access of air, the drain 

 would cause the loss of the ice in a few weeks of warm 

 weather. Around the inside of the foundation are laid 

 sills of two by six plank, and upon this are ^^ toe-nailed" 

 studs of the same size, ten feet long, at distances of four 

 feet apart. Around these, matched boards or patent 

 siding are then nailed horizontally. A door frame is 

 made at one end, or if the building is over twenty feet 

 long, one maybe made at each end for convenience in 

 filling. When the outside boarding reaches the top of 

 the frame, plates of two by six timber are spiked to the 

 studs. Rafters of two by four scantling are then spiked 

 to the frame over the studs; a cpiarter pitch being suffi- 

 cient, or if felt roofing is used, a flat roof with a very 

 little slope might be used. In this latter case, however, 

 the hight of the building should be increased at least one 

 foot, to secure sufficient air space above the ice for ven- 

 tilation. The roof may be of common boards or shingles, 



