Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1901-06-08

even horses will frequently leave pure
drinking water to imbibe the tea"
that seeps away from manure piles one
should not argue from this that such
drinking water is harmless or bene-
ficiai. The fact of the matter is that
animals may apparently suffer no i'll
effects for months from drinking con-
taminated water but there invariably
comes time when the Ill effects be-
come only too apparent to the owner.
The time alluded to is when some dis
ease attacks the animals On one farm
the disease will run a benign course
with few victims, but on another farm
In the district the same trouble will
take on yirulent type and sweep Vie
animals away in a wholesale manner.
The cause of the latter virulence is
very commonly the long continued use
OF contaminated water. Its prolonged
use yitiates the system of the ANAL.
renders the blood impure and SO rem
ders the victim prey to the disease.
Every seed does best in favorable sou
and SO the germs of disease proliferate
most successfully in the seed bed fur
nished by sluggish, impure blood. 1t
Is often for the reason just assigned
that colt distemper tstrangles) on one
farm takes mild form and on an
other kills all the colts 1t attacks; and
where the latter is the case medicines
rarely do much good as 1t Is too late
to mend matters. Where animals are
allowed to drink impure water we gen.
orally note characteristic appearances
which tell the story to the trained eye.
Horses are troubled with stocked legs,
diarrhoea. The result of these things
is seen In a staring coat OF hair, lack
OF appetite, dizziness and lack of vim
and vigor and above all perhaps, pro-
fuse sweating when at work and in
ability TO Withstand the hot rays OF
the sun In summer. Pregnant animals
are liable TO abort when made TO
drink contaminated water and their
offspring when born alive are usually
puny. sickly, living abortions." We
might mention many other evil effects
OF impure drinking water but enough
has been said; 1t remains to point out
some common impurities. OF these
the most common is sewage and its
presence is always dangerous. AS sew
age is Of organic nature 1t may be
detected in drinking water by taking
a sample OF water in clear glass bot
tie, corking 1t and setting in the sun.
| After time the cork being removed
smell is noticed and water so con-
taminated has a brownish or reddish
color. Pure water should have prac-
tcally no color but IL any a BLUSH
cast, II should have no smell and nc
taste the only thing that can be tasted
In the water in such small quantities
that II is innocuous is iron. A more
delicate test for organic matters IL
to color water family with perman-
ganate of potash and then heat II. II
4 organic matters are present the color
will vanish. Where contamination by
ieechings OF the manure pile or out.
house Is suspected the matter may be-
settled by pouring kerosene upon the
| pile or into the other receptacle from
which IL will find its way into the wei
water and be easily tasted. Water IL
often rendered so hard by the pres.
ence of lime as to be Injurious Il
stock, causing stone or gravel in tn,
bladder OF horses and particularly o.
sheep. with other troubles such as In.
digestion. goitre, and deposits of bony
substance at the joints, such as spawn
Water is frequently contaminated b,
the large tiocks of pigeons whose drop
pings get into cave troughs and so int
cisterns. etc. Water is common
source OF the many parasites infestins
the intestinal tract and stomachs o.
animals so that drinking places used
by adult animals should not be uset
for young animals that are more like
ly to be seriously affected by worm.
which do not so seriously affect full,
matured animals. In short IL is o.
the greatest importance to provide tn,
purest OF drinking water not only fol-
man but for animals in order to main
tain health and to enable them tc
throw of disease when II does happier
to attack them.