The times., 1892-03-18
A we'll intended for domestic use should

water below, the same level from which
your well draws Its supply and 1t must be-
foul the water. Supposing you have six
head of cattle and two or three horses in
your barn for at least half year. Re-
fleet for a moment on the large amount of
liquid waste from the stables that must find
| its way into the earth and into the water.
| People generally do not realize the large
area of ground that a single well may draw
upon. 1t may affect only a radius of 100
feet, but it may affect radius of 1000 feet;
| tha. depends upon the abundance of the
supply and the amount of water used. The
more you take from your well of course the
| greater distance 1t is drawn through the
earth. In fact you may lay it down as
safe rule, though contrary to an often eX-
pressed opinion, that the more you take from
a well that has suspicious neighbors, the
greater the danger OF contamination.
So far we have talked of dangers to the
well only. l should be but poor adviser If
/ stopped here and offered no remedies.
| With proper care there is no reason why
nearly every farmhouse should not have
good water supply.
What kind of well is best? A driven or
drilled well of course, we all know that.
There is no danger of filth falling into it
from the surface, no frogs or rats or cats
will tumble into it and be drowned, and de-
cay and bring disease to the users OF the
water as often happens in the case OF the
dug WELL
The well must be a distance from the
barnyards and If possible so located that the
current shall be from the well to the barn
and not from the barn to the well. 1t must
be absolutely free from all communication
with drains and vaults.
But supposing you cannot have these con-
ditions? Supposing all the surroundings
are established and are unsatisfactory and
| their change involves too much expense. L
should change them If possible. Good
health cannot be reckOned in dollars and
cents. would ecOnomize i'm some other di-
rectiOn and have good water, but If that
cannot be done you can boil the water used
for drinking or use filtered rain water. Boil
ing destroys the germs, but remember that
freezing does not and IL you boil the water
and then cool it by putting ice into 1t that
has been gathered from some impure source,
from some lake or river the water of which
YOU would not think of drinking, you may
as we'll not boil the water at ALL
The city of New Orleans uses rain water
for drinking exclusively. They have nc
typhoid fever i'm New Orleans. The city OF
Calumet in the upper peninsula used water
from small lake into which emptied the
drainage of the city. Typhoid fever was
never absent until they went to Lake Supe'
rior, five miles away, for their supply, ano
now typhoid fever is very rare. l could &c
on and multiply examples to impress upor
you the fact that the contamination of drink
ing water by sewage is one OF the creates
dangers to health, but these will suffice.
We have spoken of the danger of drains
| How shall we make one that is safe? L
you have well and use the water you can
not do it. Have no drain at all. Throw
the slops on the surface or on fertiliZe
heap Even if you do not use well water
drains are dangerous. Not one in hundred
has trap to prevent the gaSseS OF decOmpo
e siton coming into the house, and not one IL
: ten is even provided with ventilation to th'
q surface outside the house. If you mus
/, have drain, one or both of these precau
!, tiOns should be taken.
b, Concerning privy vaults, again say don
Q have any. In cities ef any size they arr
t prohibited by law unless cemented to b'
e perfectly water tight. dry earth close
l that is frequently cleaned is by far the bes
4 you can have. In fact it is the only saf'
e one to have where there is no system o
! water works and sewers. If | had the powe
e | would make it criminal offence, punish
S able by fine and Imprisonment to build o.
| keep any other.
G / have said that nearly every farm cal
0 have good well because farming countr!
e is thinly settled, but no town of any sZt
u can, because houses are too close togethe
I, and there is little or no attention to SAM
tary regulation, especially in the smalle
h places. Now if any of my audience live
? in Durand, Vernon, Bancroft, Corunna, o
e any other village or city in the county, in
: cludng my own town of OwOsso, before yol
: give unqualified praise to your well, jus
$ step out and survey the neighbOrhOod
: Count the number of drains, vaults, stable
n and refuse heaps within a distance of 50'
e feet each way, and then with the knowledge
a that all this sewage goes into the water iron
Il which your well is supplied, unless it is
: very deep one. ask yourself if the water cal
It be as pure as ii should be.
S If people would >only pay attention t.
c these matters and act wisely on such infor
G nation as is easily at hand, half the doctor
and drug stores would go out of business.
e DO not believe that simply because n
S violent illness is produced that the waite
: must consequently be good. You may no
z have typhoid or any of the malarial fevers
; but still the use of impure water undermine
}. the system and when the time of trial come
o and you need a supply of reserve force o.
haven't got it, and suffer added trials am
A sorrows because you have neglected to TAX
" proper precautions.
i These are matters that are known t
+ probably the great majority of my audience
n but how many of you have ever turned you
!, attention to the kitchen or sitting rOor
n wood-box as an unsanitary nuisance? Hoy
n many of you take pains to keep it CAREFUL
l. clean? How many of you use it as com
mon recepticle for rubbish and refuse? Th
N average wood-box will have from one to fou
It inches of accumulated rubbish in the bottom
e dust-pan sweepings, bread crumbs. bits Q
l. cake and the Lord knows not what, then
l. is often the cuspidore as well. The filth i
st the bottom becomes damp and decOmposes
d 1t is paradise for the germs of disease, an
d located in the midst of your family. 1t
ID now pretty well settled that consumption
d caused by microbe, and that it is com
e municated by eXpectoratiOn. The sputur
d dries and the microbe is blown abou. by tn
IL winds or raised by any stir or cOmmotion i
the air and is so inhaled, and when the con
|? ditOns i'm the system are favorable, con
It sumption follows. Foul wOod-boxes an
It neglected spittoons have much to answe
l. for. Keep them clean, keep the wood-bo
clean and keep water in the spttoon.
a have said nothing about damp cellar