The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-06-13
FARM z :!:!;!' ORCHARD
from Agca'rot Colleges and Experiment

Notes and Instructions from Ag'7cul
Of Oregon and Washington. Specaal'
Sanitation Necessary in All Rural
Homes.
That it is necessary that family
living on the farm know more aoou'
sanitation and hygiene than city
family, because the farmer is respon'
sible for the health of his entire little
community, while in the city there are
boards of health, inspectors and intel
ligent neighbors next door to ssmitlgate
any results of ignorance or careless
ness, was maintained by Mrs. Henri
eta w. Calvin, dean of the home eco
nomics department of the Oregon
Agricultural college, in an address al
the recent conference on the conserva-
ton of human life.
"With air filtered through forests
and cleansed by meadows and fields,
free from the nerve-wracking noise OF
cars, unannoyed by the odor of pack
ing house or mandatory, with the
absolute control of water and food
supply, there seems no reason why the
dweller in the rural home die save
by accident or from old age" said
Mrs. Calvin.
"True, the death rate is less among
people on farms than among towns
people, yet it is not nearly SO low as it
should be. If lawyer A, merchant B,
DR.. C, clerk D, and minister E all live
in the same neighborhood, offended by
the same ill-kept barn of teamster F,
it is not necessary that A, B, c, ID
and E all know the harmfulness of
that ill-kept barn. 1t is only neces-
sary that one of them knows this fact,
acts upon it, and starts the ordinary
processes of law.
cit is not necessary that all the res
idents of Portland study the water
supply, the condition of foods in the
market, the sanitary conditions of
diaries. If only a few know and in
sist enough on proper conditions, then
all will derive the benefit.
cit is not that the owner of rural
home knows or cares less than the
city dweller; it is that he must know
more, because he is dependent wholly
upon his own knowledge and care for
the wholesome surroundings of his
family.
elm cities man is not only protect
ed from the carelessness of his neigh
horc h,7f hn IS offnr, y,~ovno%oI fr.oy,o
suffering the consequences of his own
carelessness. If he will not keep his
premises clean, his weeds cut, his barn
in order, then the officers of the law
will do these things for him and force
him to pay.
ga rural home is defined by Sed-
wick as being a home which stands
alone, separated by considerable space
from other residences, and one in
which the occupants are dependent
upon their own supply of water and
milk, and dispose for themselves of
sewage and waste There are no sta
tistics concerning the health in these
separate homes. If health on the
farm is to be attained, there must be
a constant educational campaign with
that end in view.
"There may come time when men
on farms will encourage sanitary in
spector in their community as they
now do for the health of their fruit
trees. The time may come when a
community will as willingly submit to
an order that you must install septic
tanks for your house as they now
obey mandate, you must spray or
cut down your infected orchard, or
you must kill your diseased horse.
"We cannot say Move your house.
There were reasons for its location
near the road, near to heighbors, near
to water, sheltered from winds, etc.
We can only say, Improve what you
have. Start with the barn. Destroy
the causes of odors. Do away with
the manure, the breeding place OF
flies
Typhoid is not rrual disease, and
the country fly may not have typhoid
on it's legs, but it will have the germs
Of diarrhoea, which may perhaps
bring infantile paralysis.
Mrs. Calvin then spoke of disease
carrying by rats, cats, cows, hogs and
tuberculous chickens, by water supply
contaminated by seepage from the
barn or cesspool, and other means.