320 BUTTER-MAKING. 



SO that considerable water needs to be used with which to rinse 

 it. As a consequence of this latter, considerable ice is wasted. 

 Straw is used successfully. It leaves the ice much cleaner, 

 but is not so effective in preserving the ice. Shavings are 

 good, but as a rule are too expensive and not available. Some 

 use no packing material other than ice and snow. When the 

 blocks of ice are put into the ice-house, they are packed closely 

 together. A man with a hatchet chips the block of ice in 

 such a way as to fit them snugly together. The small cracks 

 are filled with fine ice and snow. The experience of the authors 

 is that, by this method, the blocks of ice are likely to solidly 

 freeze together, so the ice cannot be removed without break- 

 ing it up into irregular pieces. This is hard work, and con- 

 siderable ice is wasted. 



Another method of fiUing ice-houses in successful use is 

 that of running a small layer of water into the building and 

 allowing it to freeze. The doors in the ice-house are opened 

 during a protractive period of cold weather. The bottom of 

 the ice-house is covered with building-paper. Water is run 

 on top of this and allowed to freeze until a layer of ice about 

 a foot in thickness has been obtained. Then another layer of 

 paper is made to cover the ice and more water flooded on 

 and frozen. This process is continued until the ice-house 

 is filled. The paper between the layers prevents the ice 

 from freezing into one solid mass, and facilitates the removal 

 of the ice. 



When the ice is stored in an insulated house, combined 

 with the refrigerator, no packing material is used except on 

 the top of the ice. Shavings are good to pile on the top of ice 

 when the ice-house has been filled. They are clean and effective 

 in preserving the ice. 



The cost of filling an ice-house with natural ice, obtainable 

 within a distance of about eight miles, will vary in different 

 localities, but may be said to range between $0.60 and $1.25 

 per ton. The creamery furnishes a man to pack it into the 

 ics-house. 



