The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-07-25

49,"
else.
In a former article | discussed
the effect of Il poisoned atmosphere
upon the system. producing eplde-
ri4c,. ETC.. showing how it wa,
poisoned, how it generated disease
and aow i could be corrected.
That same cuuse- neglected prl-
yles. barn yards. COW pens and pI-
~ty.-poisons a large portion Of the
water i'm our larger towns, villages
and ounrry houses. The latter
art Of this statement may strike
some Of your country readers IL
strange and the question + asked,
how can a well y spring at an 800
lated farm 81 house IN the country
be poisoned by it, surroundings =:
These are really the people most
desire to reach, az they are isolated,
and town authorities sometimes, by
force Of authority, 10 attend to the
matter but they, never.
Let IL see how all Of these springs
and wells are poisoned. The ques-
ton is thus answered Water upon
the surface of the earth tends to
spread itself in every direction in
settling laterally, as we'll as per-
pendicuIarIy, and would extend as
much laterally as perpendlcularly
were it not for the influence OF
gravity cou~nteractlng the lateral
capillary attraction. Hence the
water tending all the tlmelaterally,
counter-intluenced by gravity, des-
cends on its outer limit III the dag
onal Of Il square of any horizontal
distance with an equal depth, and
to reach any point below the ser
vice, unless intercepted by an op-
posing strata, would reach it on a
diagonal of a square, whose sides
were equal to the horizontal DIS
lance between where the water
starts into the earth and a perpen-
dicular line drawn upward from
the object to the surface. \ ma
nure pile, etc., one hundred feet
from a well, which is one hundred
feet deep, will poison that well by
the sipage on ii diagonal line. But
it will furnish still more poison,
since the elevation of the we'll fur
nishes Il point of relief to sipage
water from top to bottom, a great
er influx than by the diagonal line
flows in. \ manure pile, ETC., IS
generally placed at the most conve-
nient place, without reference to
the unknown harm it may do. The
well OF spring IS near by, and per-
haps the vein supplying each is un-
der them OF IN the vicinity. The
fluid portions, increased by rain,
are continually descending, reach
the well or spring or the vein of
water supplying either, and a grand
destroyer Of the health Of man is
created. Sickness ensues, and
everyone is alarmed at and anxious
i'll regard to the unusually sicklv
season. How many of your re :
ders must realize this, and when
informed o 1t feel guilty IN having
added to human suffering, by either
culpable negligence or Ignorance.
In this matter ignorance IS not
bliss, and 'twere folly not to be
wise. The matter is II of last
Importance involving, Is it does,
human happiness and human life.
Let all of your readers ut once ex-
anime their sources Of water sup
ply, and see Is to whether 1t is af-
fected or not by any Of the above
PRISONERS.
\ manure pile ETC., can and may
DESTROY Il whole family. Many are
so situated. owing to lmited space,
that these evils are necessarily
close to their wells or springs. Then
sanitary precautions must be eXer-
cised continually to 1T once neutra-
lIze and remove the matter. The
prlvv must have Il box IN it, and
everything fluid and solid falling
into it must be deodorized by earth
or charcoal, and then it is readily
removed to the compost heap. The
manure pile, etc. must be Kept
constantly cleaned up and carried
to the same place, and dry earth or
charcoal sprinkled on the beds.
The water Is thus kept pure,
health is improved and the garden
and farm enriched by the increased
value Of the manure.
viii give Il Of many instances
rs an Illustration of the danger of
neglecting this matter. Some thir-
ty years ago. on one of the healthi-
est plantations in one OF the heal
thieSt counties III this State. the
family Of the Wner and himself
were attacked by a terrible disease.
called ut that time ''black tongue"
a species Of erpsipelas. He and
the most OF the family died, but