THE CULTIVATOR. 
28 
was thrown in, it was broken into small pieces with a 
large mallet, and as the hole was filled the lining of 
straw was carried up to the top. The ice was heaped 
up as high as it would lie in the middle, and during 
cold weather it was left exposed, and quantities of 
pure spring water repeatedly thrown upon it, that it 
might become as far as possible one mass . As soon 
as the weather began to moderate, the whole was 
covered with straw, the door was closed and locked, 
and the ice left till wanted. 
This ice-house was surrounded by trees', but after a 
few years they were removed because the shade occa- 
sioned^lampness. We used a great deal of ice—in¬ 
deed we never thought of economizing it—but I never 
saw it fail. The house was much larger than is neces¬ 
sary, and being near a large city, where timber was 
scarce and dear, it was much more expensive than is 
generally needful, yet it cost much less than most I 
have seen since. I am now convinced that this is the 
true plan of a cheap ice-house, and every farmer can 
make one for himself—of logs, slabs, and straw—the 
only article to be purchased being one pound eight- 
penny nails. 
Ice-houses above ground are well enough for ice- 
companies, where large buildings are wanted to con¬ 
tain large masses of ice. The greater the mass, 
the less in proportion is the surface exposed. But ice¬ 
houses above-ground will never answer for small con¬ 
cerns, and they are quite too expensive if they would. 
Within a few years I wanted an ice-house on my 
farm; and as I am so unfortunate as not to be able to 
live on the farm, and can only visit it a short time once 
a year, I have to entrust operations of this kind to others. 
Various schemes were tried ; first, it was resolved that 
the building should be here, because convenient to the 
house; next, that it should be there, because out of 
sight; but in digging down they came to a rock, and 
then thought it was deep enough. My attention was 
attracted by a neat, small, stable-looking frame struc¬ 
ture, the outside painted. On opening it, I found it 
double-sided and filled between with cut straw, well 
packed in; it had double doors, and a loft to stow 
away empty casks, and to deposite tools when not in 
use, &c. I was told that this was the new ice-house, 
and that it had been well filled. Perhaps it was not 
properly constructed; but whether so or not, or whe¬ 
ther it had ever been well filled, there was no ice there 
on one of the last days of July. 
I now took the matter in hand myself, and directed 
that my orders be implicitly followed. I selected the 
site—a fine sandy and gravelly side-hill, close by a 
pure and beautiful stream. The size of the ice-house 
being about six feet, square by ten feet deep on the 
lower side—the materials common logs, notched to¬ 
gether at the corners—holes as above for free circula¬ 
tion of air in summer, and no shade over the thatch— 
the cost limited to ten dollars. But the work did not 
cost near that sum, and the blocks of ice were dragged 
over the snow from the river to the house door without 
ox or horse or cart. The next summer I never want¬ 
ed ice, and I found the only mistake was, putting the 
magazine so convenient to my neighbors that it was 
no fault of theirs that I had it. 
The experience of a near relation is just the same. 
He placed his ice-house on a knoll in the middle of a 
pasture lot, far from any shade. It is larger than 
mine, and he painted the sides above ground, and 
roofed it with shingles; thus making it more expen¬ 
sive, but not better, if as good as mine, and certainly 
no more durable. His family is literally prodigal of 
ice—a wheelbarrow full at least being brought to the 
bouse every day, and plenty given to every one that 
asketh it. 
Ice is one of the best medicines in cases of fever, and 
no family should be without the means of procuring it 
in case of need. I have known instances of cures by 
the judicious use of ice in desperate cases, and iced 
drinks and ice kept in the mouth when permitted by 
the physician, are great comforts and alleviations at 
least. C. C. 
N. B.—Always keep the ice well covered over with 
clean straw. 
Western Wool. 
There are some very fine flocks of sheep at the West, 
especially in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and 
Ohio and Brooke counties, Virginia, and several coun¬ 
ties in Ohio. There is a peculiar softness and felting 
property in the fibre—and the best wool of the West 
is sought after with great avidity by the manufacturers. 
It not only readily sells, but also for fair, remunerat¬ 
ing prices. The sheep from which the best wool is 
taken are small, and generally show rather feeble car¬ 
case and constitutions. The breeders of fine sheep at 
the west seem to have committed the same error with 
the breeders of the early Saxons—gone for fineness, re¬ 
gardless of size of carcass and strength of constitu¬ 
tion. This error can be retrieved and must be, or the 
fine flocks of the west will be lost to the country. 
This must be done by crossing with the larger, strong¬ 
er constitutioned, and almost equally fine rams of the 
best flocks of the East. The finest of the Rambouil- 
lets—and some of the choicest and heavy shearing 
rams of the Eastern Saxons would be admirable crosses 
with the fine wooled sheep of the best flocks of the 
West. The time is at hand when the opportunity of 
making such improvement will be given to the West. 
A large and splendid flock is now being concentrated 
near Vanceburgh, Kentucky, on the fine land for sheep 
husbandry of that portion of the State. I understand, 
also, that a gentleman in Wheeling is about to estab¬ 
lish a flock of sheep, gathered from the East, in his 
neighborhood. B. 
The Last Wheat Crop in Michigan. 
Our crops here have been good this season, and 
prices fair. My son’s wheat last year averaged thirty- 
four and a half bushels to the acre. This year his and 
mine together averaged thirty bushels and one pound 
to the acre, notwithstanding the unusual severity of 
the winter. This quantity is rather above the ave¬ 
rage of the farmers generally in this vicinity. Much 
depends on the manner of getting in—the time—the 
kind of wheat, and quantity put on the acre. We use 
a trifle more than one and a half bushels, and think we 
shall increase it to one and three-fourths to the acre. 
Our time is from the 8th to the 20th of September, and 
we use the Soule’s wheat only, having carefully no¬ 
ticed, since its introduction here, that it has stood the 
rust and winter better than any other variety. Aug. 
Finney. Hudson, Lenawee Co.,Mich., Nov., 1847. 
Vineyards of France. 
Messrs. Editor —Your correspondent, Ik. Marvel, 
gives us some marvellous information, when he informs 
us that in the best vineyards of France, “but little at¬ 
tention is paid to the variety of grape cultivated, as 
the quality of the wine depends less on the kind of 
grape, than the exposure.” Such is not the fact. The 
quality of the wine depends more on the skill and care 
in manufacture, than soil or exposure. Many vine¬ 
yards lose their reputation by a change of owners, and 
others whose wines for years had no reputation, and 
were disposed of at the lowest price, have in a few’ 
years attained the first rank. Some of the best vine¬ 
yards in Frapce are fully exposed to the North. With 
us, each variety of grape, be its location and exposure 
