A COOL CHAMBER FOR THE FARM.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8479, 10 May 1893, Page 6

A COOL CHAMBER FOR THE FARM.

TO THE EDITO.. 0? THE PRESS. Sir, —During the hot weather one often hears the mistress of the house remark, j* I wish I could have a place to keep the milk and cream in. The hot nor'-westers turn the milk so quickly and melt the butter, and what with the heat and the flies the meat will keep good no time." If farmers only knew how easily and cheaply a really efficient cool chamber could be fixed up, then wives would not long be without one.

By a " cool chamber " I mean a room in which it is possible to keep the temperature just about that of ice. In such a chamber the milk and cream will keep sweet, the butter nice and hard, and the meat perfectly safe even in the hottest weather, and, strange as it may seem, the hotter the weather the greater the cold produced in the room.

Some people may smile at the idea of anyone writing about a cool chamber at this time of the year. But it must be remembered that farmers are very slow to try a new thing, and so by giving timely notice it is to be reasonably hoped that a few farmers will find time to have a cool chamber erected before next Christmas. Well, to proceed, the first thing is to erect the chamber, and the second the cooling apparatus. The size of the chamber will of course depend entirely upon the requirements of the farmer. The walls must be made double with a thickness of one foot of sawdust (dry) rammed in between. The roof and doors also most be made double, and stuffed with sawdust like the walls, Sawdust is a cheap and efficient non-conductor of heat. Divide the chamber into two parts, one about half the size (or less) of the other.

Fix up some hooks, &c, and use the smaller room for keeping meat in. Place plenty of shelves round the larger chamber to carry the milk, cream, bntter, &c- Be careful that no air from the meat room can get into the milk chamber, as it is well known that meat and milk don't agree.

Have both floors made with cement. Cement can't be rubbed out for this purpose, as it is water proof and a non-con-ductor of heat. The cold is produced by drawing dry air by means of a windmill and air pump through veiy broad canvas tubing that is always kept damp. The air in passing through the tube, which is coiled once or twice rbudd] the causes the moisture in the canvas to evaporate, and carries off this moisture along with the heat that that it has drunk up from the air surrounding the tubing. It must be clearly understood that no air is drawn into the room. The two ends of the tube project through opposite walls of the room. The outside air is drawn through the tube, but does not mingle with the air in the room.

Water, it is well known, drinks up an immense quantity of heat in the act of evaporating. The consequence of this rapid drain on the heat in the room is that the temperature soon comes down to near zero, or freezing point. The reason for having the tube attached near the ceiling is this—The air near the tube, on parting with its heat, condenses and becomes heavier. It therefore sinks to the floor, and its place is taken by the warmer and therefore lighter air. The process is repeated until all the air in the chamber has been deprived of its heat. The canvas tube is to be kept damp by means of a small perforated lead tube running along the upper side of the large canvas one. This apparatus is best worked by a windmill. The mill should be made self-govern-ing, so as to preserve the same speed. This method of constructing a cool chamber for the farm will be found to answer admirably, and is remarkable for its economical construction and maintainance.

An air pump (a very simple thing) is to be preferred before a fan blast, inasmuch as the fan will require frequent oiling, while the pump will be satisfied with an occasional greasing.—Yours, Sec, H. E. Minchin.