The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-12-04

I A. CNt1AAALAOI 10
in water bacillus typbOSus-the cause
of typhoid fever-is the n most to
be dreaded. The germs of anthrax
hog cholera, cerebro-spinal menin-
gifts and other destructive diseases
are also disseminated with polluted
water as are also the eggs, spores
and immature forms OF many para
site, intestinal worms The tape
worm to mankind and some
animals Is probably most frequently
distributed in drinking water. Ger
tain destructive parasites of sheep
are in the Southern States SO com
mon in places where sheep come to
drink that this is one of the auses
why sheep raising languishes all over
the Southern country.
OF ~infusorians and p~rotOzOans
there are numerous genera found in
orr waters, but these are not them
selves the aus of disease though
their presence indicates that the
water is liable to harbOr disease pro
ducing germs. Many physicians
still hold that polluted surface water
contains the spores of the p~rotozoan
which causes chiLs and fever. Dead
rats and mice often get into water
supplies. The presence of these
would be shown by finding their
hairs in the water, fish scales, etc,
in the same way Indicate decaying
bodies.
All these organisms and substances
except the bacteria T readily iden-
titled by means of microscopic ex-
animation. Bacteria have to be cul-
tivated on artificial nutrient media
in order to determine their specific
names. This is a very tedious and
expensive process.
TO avoid meteorological cultiva-
tjon-so slow and troublesome
many scientists have sought for
simple chemical tests for determin-
ing the presence of disease-prOduCing
bacteria in water. Most of these
short and ready methods assume
that the presence of nitrous acid or
nitritis dissolved in the water is a
safe index of the pollution of the
sample But this test is very far
from being Il safe one. While the
presence of nitrities is always Il bad
sign in water supplied for drinking,
the absence of n~itrate5 is no assur-
ance that a water is safe. A water
sample may be swarming with
typhoid germs and yet fail to show
the nitric reaction. The only simple
test of the purity of a water supply
that can be cOnscientiOuSly con
mended for home application is the
following:
Take u clean, wide-mouthed bottle.
Fill with suspected water closely
corked. Place in a pan Of water yer
the fire. Heat water in pan until near
boiling point. Now remove the bot
tie and quickly take a Whit from the
unstoppered mouth. Ii polluted by
sewage an ~evaneScent but true Odor
of urine or fOeces will be detected.
The writer has recently devised Il
method whereby samples of water
sufficient for biological and bdcteri-
illogical analysis a be satisfactorily
sent by mail. Such samples need
not contain over four fluid ounces.
But the taking of the sample requires
very great care in order to get Il fair
sample and one not contaminated ac-
cidentally while collecting.
AS pure drinking water for LEI
and animals is a prime requisite for
the health of farmers, their families
and animals, the State Department
of Agriculture will make such an
alyses free of charge for citizens pro-
vided the samples are taken accord
ing to our instructions and sent in
bottles sterilized and provided by
the Department.
Those desiring such analyses
should make application to the Com
missioner of Agriculture, at Raleigh,
enclosing 10 cents in stamps to pre-
pay postage on the bottles sent. The
filed bottles can be returned by mail
in the case in which they are sent.
The postage on filed BOTTLES will be
about 20 cents. Water samples not
taken according to our instructions
and fully described as required by
the blank forms sent with bottles
will be rejected.
The attention of country physi-