. The book of the garden. Gardening. 500 MISCELLANEOUS GARDEN STRUCTURES. Americans use no salt—nor should we do so. They store their ice in wooden build- ings on the surface, and thus save the expense of costly wells, excavated to a great depth. For covering they use saw- dust, straw, and charcoal, the best of all non-conductors of heat. Their houses being upon the surface, damp cannot in- jure them. Fifthly, snow, being produced at a much higher temperature than ice, does not keep so well; and ice being in the best state for packing when quite dry, applying water to it must be injurious. Fin
. The book of the garden. Gardening. 500 MISCELLANEOUS GARDEN STRUCTURES. Americans use no salt—nor should we do so. They store their ice in wooden build- ings on the surface, and thus save the expense of costly wells, excavated to a great depth. For covering they use saw- dust, straw, and charcoal, the best of all non-conductors of heat. Their houses being upon the surface, damp cannot in- jure them. Fifthly, snow, being produced at a much higher temperature than ice, does not keep so well; and ice being in the best state for packing when quite dry, applying water to it must be injurious. Finally, considerable allowance must be made for climate, we having never such depressions of temperature in Britain as the Americans have. We have, however, plenty of ice from 6 to 8 inches in thick- ness— sometimes more — in most sea- sons, and in many situations, particularly on lakes in districts high above the sea. Why, therefore, should not proprietors having such lakes form ice-stores on their margin, and procure a supply of pure and clean ice for their own use, and even for the supply of the London, Liverpool, Man- chester, and other markets? Railroads intersect the very districts to which we allude, or will ultimately do so, within short distances of beautiful and pellucid lakes. Artificial ones could easily be formed by throwing embankments across valleys, the ends of which might in many cases be within a few yards of a railway line. As much ice could be taken from the lake near Carnwath, within 20 or 30 feet of the Caledonian Railway, as would supply London and Edinburgh, or all the intermediate towns, abundantly, and af- ford employment to the poor at the most needful season, as well as yield a handsome return to the proprietor. Whether any enterprising individual or company will attempt such a scheme, we know not; this we must however admit, that the Americans have shown us the ex- ample, and have not only converted a material, with which our country also abound
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectgardening, bookyear18
