ARTIFICIAL ICE. A sketch of the development of ice-making apparatus and descriptions of the principles and practices involved will be found under REFRICERATION. The foliowing figures re garding the growth of the industry in this coun try are taken from the section on the :Manufac ture of Ice Industry in the Twelfth Census of the United States. The first ice factory of im portance in this country was erected at New Orleans in 1866. In 1870 three other factories were included in the census returns. The num ber of establishments reported increased to 25 in 1880, 222 in 1890, and 7S7 in 1900. The total capital invested in these 787 plants was 8:;s.201.054, and the value of the products was $13,87-1,513. These figures, like those previously given for natural ice, do not include the hun dreds of plants making ice exclusively for their own use, such as breweries and cold storage houses. Of the 7S7 plant, leported in 190o, 571 used the compressor, and 2I0 the absorption sys tem. (See Itr.Fatt.t.axitox.) The total product
of the 7S7 factories was 1,294.439 tons, of which 4,139.764 tons, or 90.4 per cent.. was can ice, and only 15.4.675 tons plate ice. Tht. middle States produced more ice than any other group, the amount being 1,57 'Also tons, as compared with 1,414,15S ton-. for the Southern States, and only 40,059 tons for tim New England The aver age value of the ice at the plants, for the whole country. was $3.11 i/er ton for can ice. and :i42.85 for plate ice. As a rule. the Southern States now depend wholly upon the manufactured prod uct for their ice-supply. the few possible excep tions being some of the coast cities. As one goes farther North, natural ice comes more and more into competition with the manufactured article, until at the extreme North it actually, or prae. tieally, displaces the latter. But the use of manufactured ice has increased rapidly of late and is continually extending toward the North.