The Florida agriculturist., 1907-12-25
Pure Water.

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do not believe that it's Importance is
as generally recognized as it should be-
Modern writer's on health all agree
that most people do not drink enough
water. But if the water is not pure
and wholesome, we should not drink
it, and if not palatable, we will not
drink as much as we need. 1t is now
Z quite generally recognized that ice Wa
ter is not good for the stomach Of
those who drink it, and yet water with
out ice is very apt to be too warm to
be very palatable, during the summer,
in Florida. But we have had occa-
sion to know that water kept in cis-
tern under cover, is cool enough to be
summer.
The Indiana Farmer describes the
plan by which one man has provided
an abundant supply Of good, whole
some drinking water, as follows:
1t is not generally known that rain
water, when protected from the atmos-
phere, is the purest, healthlest, and
sweetest water in use. We know Of
gentleman, who for a great number Of
years, has used it for drinking and cul
mary purposes; he states that he has
never met with any he considered as
good. He was informed Of its quality
by a sea captain, who used it in his
voyages from the United States to the
West Indies, who found that by care
fully preserving it from exposure,
casks which had been shipped at Key
West and made their outward voyage
from the United States to the West
Indies, were on their return to New
York, found to be as pure and good
as the day they were put on boald.
Acting Oh this suggestion, he built
two clsterns III his yard, covered, &C.
mented and a1r-tlght; one which acted
as a reservoir, communicating with the
other, from which it was conducted in
to the dwelling. The cisterns were
capable of holding seventy-tive hogs
head, and from the time of their erec-
ton have always held bountlful sup
ply Of pure, soft and excellent water.
The only communication with the air
was by the pipe which conducted the
water from the roof. Every rain re-
freshed the supply, and as it was drawn
from the bottom Of the cistern, the
temperature was cool and pleasant. In
this case it was conducted frOfA a high
roof Of slate on which no dirt could &C
Cumulate, and the cisteNls had required
cleaning only oNCe in six years, and
then from no defect in the water. At
no time has that been disturbed, or
lost in the least its pure and whole
some taste; and that fiat and rainy
taste, SO peculiar to it when caught in
open vessels, has never been noticed.
1t is strange that these simple and in
terestlng facts are not more generally
known and acted upon. The cost OF
the cisterns is but a trife, and this
cheap mode of obtaining pure water is
commanded. Rain water is the pureSt
in nature.
Horses have an instructive love for
soft water, and refuse hard water if
they can get the former Hard water
produces rough and staring coat on
horses, and renders them liable to
gripes. Pigeons also refuse hard wa
ter if they can obtain access to soft.
So much are race horses influenced by
the quality Of water that it is not un-
frequent to send supply of soft water
to the locality where the race is to
take place, lest there be only hard wa
ter and the horse lose condition from
its use. One noted writer in his book,
The Horse" says: "Instinct or ex-
perience has made himself conscious OF
this, he will never drink hard water if
he has access to soft; he will leave the