ICE-HOUSE. For small quantities of ice a wrapper of straw is sufficient, provided it be kept above the ground, and in a place free of moisture. But when vast quantities have to be kept for a considerable time, and in a hot climate, ice-houses become indispensable. In this case the ice is placed in a cellar, surrounded with thick walls, and either arched over or supplied with a conical wooden roof. What thaws may either be removed by means of a drain beneath the cellar, or may be drawn off by a pump. For very hot climates the roof of the cellar may be covered with earth to any required extent. Air should be excluded from the cellar. The best soil for an ice-house is chalk, as it lets the thaw and moisture ooze through. The immense erections used in America in the ice trade are above ground, and resemble huge barns, 200 feet long. About fifty of these great structures surround Frest Pond, in Massachusetts.