Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-05-05


needed The United States department Of agr
culture has just issued a bulletin giving de-
tailed description of simple sanitary system
suitable for the average farm home 1t will be
sent free to any farmer on application.
The new bulletin is the result of careful
study. Convenience comfort and economy have
all been considered and they may all be obtained
if the suggestions given practically applied
with care and common sense. If the farmer has
neither the time nor skill to install the simple
system suggested, reliable plumber a pump
expert or a sanitary engineer should be employed
to install a system along similar lines.
The simple sanitary system recommended has
four distinct features. 1t provides for:
/. pure water supply.
2. Pumping, storage and distribution of water
supply.
8. durable and simple plumbing system.
4. safe disposal for farm sewage
The above features are described in detail in
the departments bulletin, which consists of
46 pages and contains 3S figures and diagrams,
with a number of tables
pure water supply is of the most i'm
portant factors in farm life today as typhoid
fever, dysentery and other disorders may be car
ried by impure waters. Farm water supplies are
very subject to pollution OF rs typical water
supplies in Minnesota Investigations showed
that 20 were good and SO polluted Twenty-Five
of those polluted were bad only because of poor
surface protection, and could easily have been
made safe Practically all the surface supplies
were polluted. During these Investigations % of
the farms examined showed a record of typhoid
fever.
Surface water supplies should not be used for
household purposes, for washing milk cans
They should not even be used for laundry pur-
poses unless no other supply is available Rain
water from the roof is often polluted by dust
leaves and the droppings from birds. Any per
son who drinks water from surface supplies en-
dangers his health If such supplies are not ade
quatey protected and then purified.
Where underground waters are hard to obtain,
cisterns may be used where the store of rain
water and surface supplies will be filtered and
partially purified
The cistern should be of water-tight construc-
ton. to prevent leakage and to prevent pollution
from the neghboring SOIL 1t shculd have an
overflow drain and tight cover There should
also be suitable provision for straining or filter
ing the water previous to its entrance to the els
term
Farm wells are often polluted from local
sources They are often located for convenience
near the barn or stable or close to the back
door, out of which household slops ere thrown
The soil surrounding the well becomes saturated
with organic filth and allows the surface water
percolating through it to carry its load OF con-
tamination into the we'll
The curbing or covering is often loosely con-
structed of boards, permitting small animals and
vermin to fall into the well; and surface water
carrying filth and manure, especially after rains
runs into the well from the top
Both deep and shallow wells are subject to
contamination. OF 1T deep and All shallow farm
wells examined IN Indiana, 116 of the deep well
waters were OF good quality, IS were bad and 10
were doubtful: 159 of the shallow well waters
were good, 200 were very bad and 43 were doubt
full.
The safety of water supplies when near sources
of possible surface pollution often depends large
ly on the character and quality Of the material
in which the well is sunk.
The farm well, especially shallow dug WELL
should he located somewhat above the barn.
yards and stock pens at least in such position