732 Transactions of the American Institute. 



approached from the hall through a closely packed door. The 

 hall itself is reached through double doors, one of which is closed 

 before the other is opened. These precautious show why a uniform 

 temperature of 33 to 34 degrees is maintained within the fruit-rooms. 

 A prepai'ation is kept upon the floor to absorb the moisture, so that 

 a perfectly dry atmosphere is maintained. The refrigerator or ice- 

 box over this room is very simple and effective. The bottom is 

 composed of riveted galvanized iron, made water-tight, and sloping 

 a little to carry off the water. Then matched boards, three feet from 

 the outer iron walls, form the sides of the ice-chest, which extends 

 entirely over the inclosed rooms below. The space between the 

 boards and the sides of the room is filled in with the wood turn- 

 ings, and, after putting in about two feet in thickness of ice, or 

 twenty-five tons, boards are laid over, and twelve to fifteen inches 

 of the turnings spread over them. There is quite an open space 

 over this, kept well ventilated. So perfect is this ice-house, that 

 it had settled only three inches in a month. It is contemplated to 

 £11 it W'ith a solid cake, six feet thick, next winter, by means of a 

 hose and sprinkler, during extremely cold weather. It is estimated 

 that such a cake will last two years. 



Such, in brief, is the house, the object of which is to retard the 

 ripening process of fruits, or prevent the decay or putrefaction of 

 meats, poultry, vegetables, &c.; and the results so far fully sustain 

 the expectation of its originators. It was in readiness when Bart- 

 lett pears began to come into market, and between three hundred 

 and four hundred barrels of this fruit was put in, generally at a 

 cost of eight to twelve dollars per barrel. They are going out at 

 the rate of twenty barrels per day, at eighteen to thirty dollars 

 per barrel, according to size, the Fifth Avenue Hotel taking two 

 barrels per day. The largest specimens of selected fruit are sold 

 to fancy fruit dealers at nine to ten dollars per hundred. About 

 one hundred barrels of the finest Bartlett's were from that noted 

 grower, Mr. T. C. Yeomans, of Wayne county, N. Y., who is also 

 furnishing extra fine Duchesse pears from his orchards. One hun- 

 dred barrels Virgalleus are coming from Rochester, which go into 

 the chambers of this house. The fruit now coming out is in a good 

 state of preservation, green and firm, looking as though it was 

 good for another month, but the prices are too tempting to hold 

 on to it. Some baiTels are to be kept for several weeks yet. As 

 they come out, Louise Bonne, Duchesse, Seckel, and other later 

 pears go in; they in turn to give way to Vicar of Winkfield, Glout 



