CONVICT LABOR FOR ROAD WORK. 189 



placed within the room are useful m absorbing moisture and insuring 

 a dry atmosphere; while fresh air, sunshine, and whitewash are im- 

 portant aids to cleanliness. 



Flour is best kept in warm, dry, weU-hghted rooms, carefully pro- 

 tected from dust. Cornmeal does nor keep as well as flour and 

 should be bought in quantities which can be used without long 

 storage. Breakfast cereals, when bought in bulk, should be kept in 

 tight receptacles in a cool, dry place. Rice, macaroni, and other dry 

 foodstuffs of similar character, and also raisins, currants, and evapo- 

 orated and dried fruits are best kept in covered cans or jars. Sugar 

 may be weU kept in tin boxes, but salt should be stored in wooden 

 receptacles. Glass preserve jars are convenient for small quantities 

 of almost any kind of food. 



At camps in which perishable foodstuffs are a part of the daily 

 fare, ice boxes or refrigerators should be provided if the location is 

 such that ice can be obtained. In this connection it should be 

 remembered that, as freezing does not kill aU disease germs, ice is not 

 always free from dangerous contamination, and no food should be 

 brought into direct contact with it unless its purity is above suspi- 

 cion. If the food is to be kept in good condition the interior of the 

 ice box should be wiped each day with a dry cloth, and once a week 

 all ice and food should be removed so that the sides, shelves, and 

 drain may be thoroughly scalded. The cleansing of the drain is ex- 

 ceedingly important for if it is allowed to become clogged the water is 

 not carried off fast enough and.Uttle pools are formed in which 

 bacteria may breed in great numbers. Under these conditions food 

 will keep only a very short time. 



Since in many of the southern camps the use of ice is impracticable, 

 the food must be of such character as to require no ice for its preserva- 

 tion. Under these conditions screened cupboards may be used for the 

 preservation of cooked foods during short periods. In these recep- 

 tacles the food is protected from flies, but warm food furnishes an 

 excellent medium for the growth of bacteria, and ordinarily should 

 be kept only from one meal to the next. 



In some of the Western States where the climate is very dry, meats 

 may be suspended from hooks in small screened inclosures open to 

 the sun and air on every side (see PL XIV, fig. 2). Under these 

 conditions the surfaces of the meat rapidly dry and harden and the 

 interior will remain in a state of good preservation for a considerable 

 length of time. 



At one of the camps visited, the contrivance for keeping food cool 

 was based on the j)rinciple that water in evaporating draws heat 

 from surrounding objects. A wooden box about 2 feet square and 

 4 feet high was placed on end and fitted with shelves for the food. 

 The top end of the box was covered with several layers of burlap, 



