1866.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
357 
Ice Houses—N’orth. and South. 
With the wane of the summer, as usual, come 
inquiries about Ice Houses.—There is nothing 
like necessity to 
drive us up to 
action, and the 
extreme heat of 
the past summer 
causes ice to be 
regarded, more 
than ever per- 
FiS-1.—AIR TRAP. haps, as a neces¬ 
sity as well as a luxury. The topic is not a 
new one for us to discuss with the readers of 
the Agriculturist. In October, 1864, there is a 
plan and elevation of an ice house, given with 
considerable minuteness of detail, but at the 
risk of a little repetition, we must answer 
some of the numerous questions lately received. 
Fig. 2.— AIR TRAP. 
Ice Houses may be made in any part of the 
country, and in fact, one which will keep ice 
well in Maine, will do so in Louisiana. The 
difference in the extreme summer temperature 
of the two States is really very little; and 
though ice will not keep so long at the South 
as at the North, yet the same principles apply 
to its successful keeping in both places. The 
essentials are two; 1st, a suflicient bulk of ice 
closely packed ; 2d, non-conducting walls, bed 
and cover. These are very simply attained: as 
for instance, when a large mass of several tons 
of ice is piled upon a bed of rails covered over 
with two feet of straw, and then covered and 
packed about with straw enough to effectually 
shield it from the rains. In fact, it would be 
hard to invent a more perfect way of keeping 
ice than this,—but it would be inconvenient. 
A room in the middle of a hay bay would 
be excellent, and might be very convenient. 
Taking the 2d essential first, we must consid¬ 
er that the bottom of the ice house, in order to 
be a non-conductor of heat, must be so far as 
possible dry, for water is a rapid conductor, 
and moist air will thaw ice much faster than' 
dry air, even though the latter be the warmer. 
The ice will thaw somewhat, at any rate, which 
necessitates good drainage, and this must be so 
made that air can neither blow in nor draw out 
which will last a very long time without the 
necessity of being cleaned out. The bottom of 
Fig. 3. —ICE HOUSE. 
through the drain. To effect this an “ air-trap ” 
is introduced at the entrance, and this must be 
protected from straws, sawdust, and dirt which 
might stop it up. We give figures of two traps 
Fig. 4.— ICE HOUSE PLAN. 
d. Door ; d, d, Double Door ; d w. Double Window, 
the ice house is grouted, (covered with broken 
stone pounded flat, and cemented,) sloping to 
one point, usually the centre, where a round or 
sqffare well, about a foot deep, is made, and also 
cemented thoroughljn Up into this well or de¬ 
pression comes the mouth of the drain. In fig. 
1 , it is a 2-inch glazed drain-tile coming through 
about 6 inches. This is covered by an earthern 
pot, also glazed, and set up from the bottom on 
four bits of stone or brick. Straws and dirt will 
be caught outside of the pot or upon the bottom, 
and the water only will flow out, while no air 
can flow either way. The same end is gained 
by the contrivance shown in fig. 2, but not so 
Fig. 6. iCE HOUSE CORNRR. 
Fig. 5. 
well. Here 'a pipe, bent somewhat S-shaped, 
shuts out the ah’, while a cap of copper-wire cloth 
prevents the straws getting in. The pipe or 
drain tile may enter a stone or tile underdrain. 
Sometimes people simply make a well or de¬ 
pression in the bottom of the cemented floor 
and connect it directly with the drain, covering 
the drain and partly filling the well with gravel, 
topped with clean sand. This does very well 
for a time, but is apt to be stopped up finally, 
and may make mischief. 
The ice house itself of course must stand 
where perfect drainage is attainable. It may be 
above ground or underground, or half-under—it 
makes little difference. We prefer those above 
ground, except for looks. The under or half- 
under-ground ones may be more easily conceal¬ 
ed or ornamented. The article referred to (page 
290, 1864,) gives a good plan for an above 
ground house, which we will not repeat. The 
elevation, fig. 3, and plan, fig. 4, show how a 
fruit house or cool room for any purpose, may 
form a part of an ice house, and maintain a low 
temperature without seriously decreasing the 
ice. The ice house has foot-thick walls on 
three sides; the cool room is also thick walled. 
There is also an entry, which being shut off from 
the front room and communicating directly 
with the ice house, may be very convenient if 
there is plenty of ice, to hang a mutton carcase 
or a side of beef in for 
a few days in summer, 
the door into 'the ice 
chamber being opened. 
Figure 5 represents 
an ice house made un¬ 
derground and covered 
with a summer house, 
being entered by steps 
from above with double 
doors to open outward. 
The walls of the ice house, be they above or 
below ground, should be of light porous mate¬ 
rial, like shavings, spent tan-bark, sawdust, etc., 
and should be so made as not to become wet 
either by water from without, or from the ice. 
For an above ground house upon a cemented 
stone or brick foundation, a few inches high 
lay sills, 10 inches wide and 2 inches thick, in 
cement; set upon these, and nail to them the 
studs, two at each corner, and about 4 feet 
apart elsewhere. Fig. 6 shows how a corner is 
framed and nailed. Tlie studs are 2-inch plank 
8 feet high and 10 inches wide. Upon 
them, flush with the outside edges, are 
spiked the plates, 3 X 0-inch pieces. Cor¬ 
ner posts of 3 X 3-inch stuff are heavy 
enough. The inside is of 2-inch hemlock; 
the outside of matched inch stuff, hori¬ 
zontal, or if not matched, put on perpen¬ 
dicularly and battened. The filling is 
best put in and rammed down moderately 
as the sides go up. Use 0 x 2-inch rafters, 
and board them on both sides, putting on 
the top boarding, last and stuffing in shav¬ 
ings to prevent a circulation of air be^ 
tween. In the upper part of the roof there 
should bo a small ventilator, which may 
be closed more or less according to judg¬ 
ment. The air above the ice becomes 
somewhat moist, and if there is no venti¬ 
lation it will become charged with moist¬ 
ure, and conduct the heat from the roof 
and thaw the ice. The door must give 
access to the top of the house, and should 
be double and close. In under-ground 
ice houses, the outer walls are brick or 
stone, cemented, or cement upon the earth 
sides, and furred out, filled, etc., as above 
stated. The ice house floor should be of 2-inch 
plank laid level upon loose rails or scantlings. 
A thick level layer of straw is laid upon the 
floor. Then the house is ready for the ice, 
which should be laid in in solid blocks of uni¬ 
form size, breaking joints like bricks in a good 
wall. Between the ice mass and the sides all 
around pack sawdust, or better the chaff from a 
fan mill, and in absence of these straw. Finally 
cover the ice with straw or chaff 2 feet thick. 
Saving Seed Corn,--Fall Plowing! 
Mr. J. Weldon, of Winnebago Co., Ill., com¬ 
municates through the American Agriculturist 
the following advice for his western brethren, 
which it will not hurt our eastern readers to 
consider: “ In several of even Northern coun¬ 
ties, the seed corn last spring proved unusually 
defective; and it is my experience that little re- 
