Show refrigerator n FOR WINTER i S S 8 S A S sa SA fc A i arti 4 A A A A A A U refrigerator Is a convenience useful in the cold as well as warm weather with a small piece of tee in the cooler it is of great service in tho winter in small apartments or in a house with a cellar for the storage ot neat and food not in the crude form a refrigerator Is better than the best cellar the best refrigerator Is the one that san be most easily kept clean and cool it a new one la to be purchased it la ietter to pay a little more and buy one alth enameled interior that can be lastly washed out and that therefore docs not accumulate unpleasant odors with a box of white enamel any one can give a coat of paint to the inside ot he refrigerator the improvement in effectiveness to say nothing af appearance will be apparent to the most unthinking and outlined against the white background the tood will appear to its best advantage ind there will be less danger of odds nd ends being pushed into dark corners to bo overlooked and left to decay refrigerators are now so cheap and 0 o economical that there are no longer any families who think they can exist mahout them an ingenious man can manufacture the homo out of two stout dry boxes one of these must be a couple of inches smaller than the oilier tn order to permit the smaller one to be used as tha inner wall ot tho icebox it this inner box la lined with zinc or felt its effectiveness as a cooler will ba improved the outer box should b packed with powdered charcoal or ashes leaving juat space enough for the inalda box to HI into it before tha boxes are fitted together both should have had bored on the side which la to te used as tho base corresponding holes to permit drainage cleats fastened on each side the inner box will support cpr the accommodation of the things to be stored away A rack made of lathing at the bottom of the box will support the lump of ice in this position the melting water can att readily drained off it Is a wiltse precaution to line tho lower surface of the refrigerator with a cheet of tin turned up a little at each side in case felt not zinc Is used as a lining the tin will keep the wood from absorbing the melted water it the box Is in a constant state of dampness the food stored in it may the lids ot course must be securely fixed to the boxes with hinges metal ones are of course the best but it they cannot be had leather can be made to M and instead of a metal lock a strap ot leather tacked on the doors wll keep them fastened pieces of wood placed under each corner of the outside box make good supports while an old tin pudding dish will do for a falp pan the box may be as such a refrigerator la een crafty kemptn the coolest corner of ib painting la not feces eary although coat ot paint will help to make the wood esa porous cracks or knotholes knot holes should of course bo closed up with putty tha idea being to make the box as nearly airtight as possible of course such a refrigerator Is only a makeshift but it la better than nguie at all it the space under the boxes Is partially filled with powdered charcoal or ashes the preserving qualities ot the refrigerator will be much improved every autumn the icebox should be overhauled for winter use I 1 the lining Is of zinc let it be scrubbed with water in which a little ammonia has been dissolved washing boda may be substituted for the ammonia after the various walls and shelves leavo been cleansed with soap and water they should bo cooled as thoroughly as possible with cold water tho drainpipe may be cleaned out a round brush having a long handle such a one as Is AH IDEAL used for tho cleansing ot lamp chlon when tta la nicely cleaned a iett on ona at UK d 1 I r p I 1 keeping the interior free from disagreeable odors families who live in the suburbs can store their jovn ice in an improvised icehouse tho materials are suitable and an amateur carpenter la equal to its construct lori the coolest location about the house should be chosen or the icehouse and the larger its framework the better aba aldea should be outlined by posts shaped to give tho box a roof two boards should be nailed alone each of them inner boards closely fitted should be used a lining tho timber upon the floor must not be too close together tog ether or the ice will 1 not leave pace for drainage tan baah or sawdust makes a good noor lining when the let la arwed from the water it should be shaped into cakes which will be convenient for handling when hose aie packed into the icehouse they should be laid close toffe lher with the spaces betian them with pounded ice A of water should then be turned over each layer if it Is fredi ing at that time As the layer is completed cover it with tan bark or saw dust and board it in then a layer of bark linings should caver that section and another section of ice be built in when the icehouse la filled the top ought to be covered with at least a foot and a half of tan bark or sawdust then the roof should be put on athla sloping north and inclined to give a good drainage for the moisture although it will be some time before the jc chouse can be filled now Is the time to put it up when the ce la to be taken out it must be removed at the ends and the carefully put back when the fart layer haa all been taken out the be easily reached reach td A beall the gable y sr 1 r I Is a eoon thine the real door of the should always bar directed toward the north the ground underneath the icehouse ought to be porous so that the water draining opt wll run away without the need of a drain if the ground Is clayey or hard the posts about which the frame Is built should be raised ten cubic feet of ice crual about 23 tons ice weighs 57 pounds to the cubic foot A couple of bright boag could build such an icehouse in the fall and in a neighborhood where the lea supply la poor realize quite a generous sum by selling to their neighbors it no balce or stream Is near the house cakes of ice might be frozen from fresh poured into wooden vessels and apt out in the cold to freeze this would afford a small crop even in mild winters HELEN |