708 



SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



amount of ice and allow a space of twelve inches between the walls and 

 ice, which should be filled with sawdust or other non-conducting material. 

 Fifty cubic feet should be allowed for each ton of stored ice. The doors 

 should close tightly to exclude air. Windows are unnecessary. A venti- 

 lator should be provided at the roof to allow the escape of vapors. 



Wooden structures, because of the continual dampness of the wood, 

 are short lived. For this reason ice houses of concrete blocks or hollow 

 tile are preferable. They keep the ice well and are much more durable 

 than wood. 



Roofing. — Wooden shingles have long been the chief roofing material. 

 They embody lightness, ease of construction, good appearance and, when 

 made of the right kind of wood and properly treated or painted, are reason- 

 ably durable. It is 

 folly to put thirty- 

 year shingles on 

 with five-year 

 nails. The new 

 process nails rust 

 out more quickly 

 than the type 

 made in former 

 years . It is , 

 therefore, recom- 

 mended that good 

 galvanized wire 

 nails be always 

 used for shingles 

 of any material 

 that is reasonably 

 durable. 



Slate and tile 

 roofing are much 

 heavier than wood 

 shingles, but when of good quality are more durable and generally of better 

 appearance. They have the advantage of affording fire protection from 

 sparks and cinders falling on the roof. Any kind of shingles demands a 

 roof of ample pitch to make them durable. If the roof is too fiat, more 

 water is absorbed, snow is held, and consequently decay occurs more 

 rapidly. 



There is now on the market prepared roofing of many types, much 

 of which is cheaper and more easily placed in position than slate, tile or 

 shingles. The type of building and its permanence should in large measure 

 determine the kind of shingle. Heavy, expensive roofing is out of place 

 on a cheap, temporary building. 



1 Courtesy of The Pennsylvania Farmer, Philadelphia. 



A Concrete Block Ice House. 1 



