CONVICT LABOR FOB BO AD WOBK. 189 
placed within the room are useful in 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, well-lighted 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 well 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 all 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 little 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 principle 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, 
