The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-03-30
A NATfR' SUPPLY
Importance of Having Safe Wells
on the Farms
HOW TO GET GOOD ONE
Practical Suggestions Relative to
the Location and Preserve
ton of Wells

| Water is undoubtedly the creates
carrier of disease. There is always
g definite relation between the death
/ rate in large city and the purity OF
its water-supply On the whole, it is
safe to predict that those cities hav-
ing the highest death-rates have i'm
pure water supplies; while those
cities with low death-rates are sure
to have pure water-suppiies.
Typhoid fever and intestinal disor-.
Gers are the diseases most likely to
be transmitted by polluted water Ex-
crements from typhoid patients are
teeming With the bacteria which
cause that disease. Ii, by any means.
these excrenlents infect the water
supply. that water, if drank. will
! probably cause the disease. Typhoid
outbreaks, whether on the farm or in
the city, can usually be traced to q
water-supply which had become in
! fected with sewage from typhoid pa
tients.
There onght to be no question
about the purity OF the water-supply
on every farm. Unfortunately
large number of farm water-supplies
are not safe, and are probably the
cause Of disease
The U. s. Department Of Agricul-
| ture. in cooperation with the Mime
sofa State Board of Health. made an
exhaustive investigation of ~ care
| fully selected typical farm watersup-
J plies in different parts OF Minasotsa,
} with these results: L. 1'wefry wa
[ ter-supplies We're good, and IS We're
/ polluted This pollution was largely
4 due TO careless or ignorant handling.
II 2. Or the polluted wells, il We're SO
H located that extreme care could not
II make them safe; while the others,
II with proper protection. such as good
curling. tight platform and protcc-
ton frcm. surface-wash, could be
mAde safe 8. During the investiga-
ton it was found that 23 farms show,
n ed record of typhoid fever. The
water On IS of these farms was pol
luted. and was the probable cause of
II the disease; while on the other
farms the cause of the disease could
not be definitely located
VI How can you tell whether your wa
liter supply is polluted or not? The
IlfOllOwing Kind of we'll is safe: A
tdeep-driven well, with tight curbing
Hand platform. which is raised above
1.-THE ground at least six inches to one
foot. The ground slopes away from
H the well in all directions. sd that no
Il surface-water can enter the pit. The
we'll is located as far as practicable
l from the priyy vault-100 feet. pref
| erably more--and an equal or great
en-. distance from barnyards, cess
pools, ETC.: and the drainage from
these places should be away from,
and not toward the we'll.
The following we'll lis apt to be pol
luted: A shadow-dug we'll, curbed
\ with rock or other material. with
II loose platform. allowing dirt and sur
1 face-drainage to enter the we'll; To-
Gated within a few rods of a privy
vault. cesspool or barnyard.. and the
} natural drainage from these places
being toward the we'll Even il the
natural drainage were away from the
we'll. under these conditions, there
I would probably still be seepage from
the barnyard. ETC., into the well.
Make careful survey of your wa
ter-sdpply, and you can probably tell
quite accurately whether it is safe or
not. Do not send any samples of wa
ter to the chemist of the Experiment
Station, because he cannot make
such examinations. However. if You
Nare in doubt as to the purity of your
,water-supply, send him an accurate
and complete description of yonr
well. and rough sketch showing the
location and distances between the
well and farm buildings. barnyards.
-,esspools. -sHults. etc. BY means of
trrxsws, Indicate the slope CT land
On the basis oil such information all
hossible assistance will be given you.
Write 10, Snpt. Of Documents,
washington. D. c. enclosing 15c for
bulletin IA Bureau OF Plant Indus
Try, T s. dept of SsAxrtcult,sfe. on
7arn. Water Supplies OF Minnesota.
i-Ralph Hoaeland. Division OF Chein-
jsfry sand Soils, Nina. Expsffmeat
ssation.