Vol. LXII. No. 2764 
NEW YORK, JANUARY 17, 1906. 
SI PEK YEAR. 
ICE ON AN INDIANA FARM. 
now IT IS HANDLED. 
Prepare for It at Once. 
V/ith a well-filled ice house the farmer and his 
family find many uses for this Winter product; ice 
A FARM POND. Fio. 14. 
cream, good pure ice-cold milk for the noonday meal, 
and Dy having a large refrigerator and keeping it well 
filled with ice during the hot Summer months the good 
housewife can keep the meats and vegetables in bet¬ 
ter condition and at the same time save hundreds of 
steps. By taking a bucket of water and one of ice to 
the field the water can be made any temperature the 
men may desire. Where the Winters are cold enough 
to freeze even three or four-inch ice there is no good 
reason why the farmer should not put up his own ice. 
While 10 or 12-inch ice is better, as it is easier han¬ 
dled and keeps better, yet do not do without because 
you can only secure thin ice. Seldom do we put up 
12-inch ice here in southeastern Indiana. I have 
liolped to put up ice when it was but three inches, and 
the last day the weather turned warm and over half 
of the cakes would break in two or three pieces before 
tliey were put in the house. The pieces were fitted as 
close together as possible and we had all the ice we 
could use. If there is no stream near that freezes 
over, from which ice may be secured, a pond can 
easily be built. If there is a never-faiiing spring on 
the farm and it is not too far from the house the 
pond should be built below this spring. 
THE VALUE OF A POND.—The pond can be stock¬ 
ed with fish. It will also furnish a skating rink for 
the boys and girls of the neighborhood to enjoy them¬ 
selves. The pond can also be used for irrigating pur¬ 
poses. In Fig. 14 is shown our fish and ice pond on 
Pleasant View Farm. The spring over which stands 
the windmill furnishes 30 barrels per day of clear 
water the driest time during the Summer. In the 
Summer part of the water is forced from the well into 
a tank on top of a hill at a height of 50 feet from top 
of well. From the tank it is piped to garden and lawn. 
The windmill shown in illustration is homemade. As 
no windmill is always reliable a tread power has been 
placed near the well so that water may be pumped 
wlieu necessary if the wind is not strong enough to 
run the mill. All surplus water from the well is con¬ 
veyed into the pond. 
THE HOUSE.—Some farmers no doubt are kept 
from putting up their own ice because they think it 
requires an expensive ice house properly to keep the 
ice, as well as expensive tools. This is far from the 
case. A house may be cheaply constructed, the essen¬ 
tials being a good roof and good drainage. The house 
we have is 14 feet square, 12 feet high, and will hold 
about t!0 tons of ice. This building was erected at a 
cost of $40, and was built as follows; Four 15-foot 
locust posts were set in the ground three feet deep on 
each side the right distance apart, and one post on 
one end and two on the other; 2x4 scantling are 
spiked to the top and sides of these posts, and the 
building is sided with ship lap and roofed with pine 
flooring. There is no inside lining as some recom¬ 
mend, and it is not necessary, though of course the 
ice would keep better, but at the same time the ex¬ 
pense of the building would be increased. There are 
no tight-fitting doors; in fact, there are no doors 
whatever, but boards are placed across the doorway 
as the ice is filled in until the top is reached, when 
the remaining space is always left open. An opening 
is also left above the ice on the opposite end, so there 
can be a free circulation of air over the ice. We put 
up about 50 tons last year in this house, and two 
families used all they wanted, and enough was sold 
more than to pay the cost of putting up, and there are 
several tons left at this writing. If you have a build- 
’’ng with a good roof, the sides sufficiently tight to 
hold the sawdust, and good drainage can be secured, 
do not hesitate to use it for an ice house, as with 
proper care the ice will keep well enough for ordinary 
purposes. 
MARKING AND CUTTING ICE.—The tools used 
MAKKINCr THE ICE. Fin. 15. 
are a marker, saws (common cross-cut saws will do 
if ice saws cannot be had), ice tongs for handling the 
cakes and a pike pole for pushing the cakes where 
wanted while in the water. Fig. 15 shows the marker 
in use. It is made by nailing two 2x6 scantlings two feet 
long together, so that the outside of the scantlings 
will be exactly two feet apart. A handle is placed on 
the marker by which it may be pulled. A short piece 
of an old saw is fastened to the outside of each run¬ 
ner near th6 front edge, so that the teeth will project 
about one inch below the scantling. At the other end 
a smooth piece of iron is likewise fastened to act as 
a guide to hold the marker steady while being pulled. 
A box is nailed on top to be used in guiding it. In 
using this marker several straight boards (be sure 
they are perfectly straight) are fastened together and 
placed through the center of the pond. A man or boy 
holds the marker close to the board, while the other 
two pull it along. One of the men must walk on the 
boards to keep them from slipping. If the men are 
<^areful the two lines will be straight. When the end 
is reached the marker is turned around and one of 
the guides is run in the old mark, thus making one 
new mark. This is repeated uutil the pond is laid off 
in lines two feet apart. After the pond is marked one 
way a board is placed across the marks and another 
at right angles with it straight with the marks just 
made. The first board is moved until it is square with 
the other. When the board is perfectly square with 
the marks already made the pond is marked the other 
way, thus leaving the ice in many cakes, each exactly 
two feet square. See Fig. 16. In sawing, care should 
be used so as to follow the marks made, and also to 
saw perpendicularly, as the ice can be stored better 
and with less work. The pike pole may be made from 
an old broken pitchfork by cutting the three prongs 
about four inches long. Bend one at right angle to 
the center one and the other in a circle with the point 
toward the handle. Sharpen the points and after plac¬ 
ing it in a long handle you have a light useful tool. 
PACKING THE ICE.—Good drainage is secured by 
placing rails on the ground in the ice house and fill¬ 
ing about a foot of sawdust on top. At the pond the 
ice is loaded into a wagon, or if there is snow a sled 
is used, and hauled to the house. At first the cakes 
are laid flat until the floor is covered. The first course 
is placed on edge. Commencing about one foot from 
the outside wall one row of cakes is placed across the 
house, when another row is commenced, and in thi.s 
way the whole course is finished. The building 14 
feet square will hold six rows of cakes 24 inches 
square. After the course is finished all uneven places 
on top are dressed smooth, and ice pounded up fine 
to fill all spaces. Sawdust is filled in between the ice 
and weatherboarding, and well tramped. The next 
course is commenced and the rows run in the opposite 
direction to the first one. The third course is laid the 
same as the first and so on until the house is filled. 
The foot space around the house is filled in with saw¬ 
dust after each course is finished. When the house Is 
full, which will contain five tiers if the building is the 
size given above, about two feet of sawdust is placed 
on top. The ice should be looked after often during 
the remaining part of Winter and early Spring, so as 
to keep the sawdust well packed around the ice. 
Indiana. _ ei.mer a. tufts. 
QUESTIONS ABOUT FRUITS. 
The Frost Plum. 
A friend from northern Vermont told me some time ago 
of a large blue plum that was common there called the 
Frost plum, as it was not good to use until after it had 
been frosted. Do you know if it would succeed In thl.s 
prairie country? Where could I procure a few small 
trees or pits? w. h. h. 
I.etcher, S. D. 
It is probable that the plum referred to is some • 
very late variety of Damson, for there are some that 
SAWING ICE. Fio. 16. 
do not ripen until the first frosts. It is likely that 
this particular variety is one of local origin. Whether 
or not it would prove hardy in South Dakota it i.s 
impossible to tell, but it would cost little to try it. 
The best way to proceed would be to learn just where 
in Vermont the trees grow and send there for rooted 
