Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-08-07
The Disposal of country sewage.

In circular sent out by the state health
board of New Jersey, suggestions are made
for the disposal of refuse in places with
out sewerage. They are intended in par
ticular for the consideration of dwellers i'm
scattered village houses where neither
your own nor your neighbors well is near,
and where the population is not large
Ashes or what remains from the fires are
the first waste to be disposed of; dust
sweepings and similar refuse the second
wash water from kitchen and laundry the
third; fourth, bath-tub, and usual wash
tub water, and fifth, secretions or eXcre-
tions voided from the human intestinal or
urinal tract,
The first caution given is to never min
gle any of these products when it is pos
sible to avoid doing so. "The ash heap"
says the circular, sis msused if it becomes
Il place of deposit or burial of any of the
other materials" While sifted ashes have
an absorbent, and some corrective, power,
if used in heaps, in this way they become
damp and degenerate into filth heaps.
Wet ashes cause dampness and moudi-
ness. Hence they are to be kept separate
and dry and cleaned away occasionally as
convenience and health indicate. At the
spring and fall housekeeping at least, they
should be fully removed.
| 1t is rule as to all dirt, swecpingS, etc,
that they should be disposed of in the
| kitchen range or fire We know of many
who carry the use of fire for the disposal
of refuse much further There is now fur
nished a close pan or heater in which peel
! ings of fruit and vegetables, and bits from
all culinary operations are SO dried as to
| be cast into the fire and add to the heat
| Thus all evil effects from them are avoided.
The wash water from the kitchen and
laundry are always to he looked upon as
fouled waters. The soap tends To separate
into its original fats, and the greaSes are
especially prone to nauSeous decomposi-
tions.
The kitchen liquids contain much ami
nal matter in the form of shreds of meat
or vscera. Many claim that the decom-
position from these sources may become
as disease-breeding as our ordinary Sc
cretiOns.
Bath-tub and wash-bowl water, while
not so impure As some other liquids as
representing soap and secretions from the
skin, are also to be gotten rid of.
1t is, as a rule wrong course to com
bine these various kinds of refuse, and
still worse to convey them to the outside
privy vault as a general receptacle. by q
little prudence in use and a little industry
they are easily disposed of. As a rule the
liquid products from an ordinary family
are not enough to do any harm if disposed
of on the surface of well drained ground
Besides the use of them about bushes
grape vines, or trees, according to thei
needs. there may be near the foot of thu
house lot a series of burrows or deel
trenches made with the spade or hoe int
which these can be thrown alternately.
If the ground is clayey, it should hav
been underdraned.
Oats or corn sown in rows between tn
trenches will aid much in taking up tn
summer excess and in protecting from tn
sun. We have never known a famil
t embarrassed in the disposal of these liquid
= if only some such separating and Absorb
ing system was carried out.
b, Different parts of the plot or trenche
should be used different days.
e We know of no record or case where
e well over twenty feet deep and fifty fee
A distant from plot or trenches thus use
for these fresh liquids has ever fallen III
der suspicion of being affected. This
>, quite different from ponding in ceSspool
Il If undrained soils become too wet, thel
r is remedy in the use of agricultural tile
e in frequently changing the terminal end (
the pipe A few feet of led pipe at IL
terminus easily admits of this change. \
e rule the dry and dry kept clubhouse
e the best place for voiding intestinal eXcr
o tions. 1t should never be the place II
c emptying any indoor vessels. The dee
% and hidden cesspool system should
+ abandoned as far as possible. Where ces
% pools must be used, it is far better and lie
re expensive to have two or three disco
er nected ones, not deep, easily cleaned, al
lie built as we have indicated for each varie
IA of slop, rather than have one great stoI
10 house for a pond of foul liquid.