Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 173, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1919 — ICELESS REFRIGERATOR QUITE USEFUL WHEN ICE IS SCARCE IN WARM WEATHER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ICELESS REFRIGERATOR QUITE USEFUL WHEN ICE IS SCARCE IN WARM WEATHER

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Jack Frost has been depended on by many people in northern states to furnish them with the larger part of their ice supply. But last winter Jack went on a strike for many days, and country districts will experience difficulty in obtaining even a limited amount of artificial ice. Where ice is not obtainable an iceless refrigerator, home-made, will be found useful to keep meat, fruit and vegetables cool. It will extend the keeping period for milk and butter and serve also as a cooler for drinking water. In homes where large quantities of milk and butter are to be kept, it would be well to have one refrigerator for milk and butter, and another for other foods, as milk and butter readily absorb odors from other foods. It costs very little to build the Refrigerator and nothing to operate it. Construction of Iceless Refrigerator. A wooden frame is made with dimensions 42 by 16 by 14 inches, and is covered with screen wire, preferably

the rustless type, which costs little more than the ordinary kind. The door, made to fit closely and mounted on brass hinges, can be fastened with a wooden latch./ The bottom is fitted but the top should be covered with screen wire. Adjustable shelves can be made of solid wood or strips, or sheets of galvanized metal. Shelves made of poultry netting on light wooden frames, as shown in the illustration, are probably the most desirable. These shelves rest on side braces placed at desired intervals. A bread baking pan, 14 by 16 Inches, is placed on the top and the frame rests in a 17-inch by 18-inch pan. All of the woodwork, the shelves, and the pans should receive two coats of white paint and one or two coats of white enamel. This makes an attractive surface and one that can be easily kept clean. The screen wire also may receive the coats of enamel, which will prevent It from rusting. A cover of canton flannel, burlap, or duck Js made to fit the frame. Put the smooth side out if canton flannel is used. It will require about three yards of material. This cover is buttoned around the top of the frame and down the side on wihich the door is not hinged, using buggy hooks and eyes br large-headed tacks and eyelets worked in the material. On the front side arrange the hooks on the top of the door instead of on the frame and also fasten the cover down, the

latch side of the door, allowing a wide hem of the material to overlap the place where the door closes. The door can then be opened without unbuttoning the cover. The bottom of the cover should extend down into the lower pan. Four double strips, which taper to 8 or 10 inches in width,-are sewed to the upper part of the cover. These strips form wicks that dip over into the upper pan. The dimensions given make a refrigerator of convenient size for household use and one with efficient evaporating surface, but it is not necessary to follow strictly these dimensions. If a larger capacity is desired, the height of the refrigerator can be increased. How It, Operates. Operation of the refrigerator shown in the illustrations is as simple as its construction. The lowering of temperature inside the refrigerator depends upon the evaporation of water. To change water from a liquid to a vapor, or to bring about evaporation, requires heat. As evaporation takes place heat is taken from the Inside of the refrigerator, thereby lowering the temperature of the inside and the contents. Keep the upper pan filled with water. The water is drawn by capillary attraction through the wicks and saturates the cover. Capillary action starts more readily if the cover is first dampened by dipping it into water or throwing water upon it with the hand. The greater rate of evaporation the lower the temperature which can be secured; therefore the refrigerator works best when rapid evaporation takes place. When the refrigerator is placed in a shady place in a strong breeze and the air is warm and dry, evaporation goes on continuously and rapidly and the temperature inside the refrigerator is reduced. Under ideal conditions the temperature has been known to be reduced to 50 degrees F. When the air is damp the refrigerator will not work as well, since there is not enough evaporation. More water will find its way to the lower pan, but it will be drawn up Jnto the covering by capillary attraction whei the air becomes drier. Care of Refrigerator. The refrigerator should be regularlj cleaned and sunned. If the frame work, shelves, and pans are white enameled they can more easily be kept In a sanitary condition. It is well to have two covers, so that a fresh on< can be used each week and the soiled one washed and sunned.

Iceless Refrigerator in Operation.

How Iceless Refrigerator is Constructed.