West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-09-16
PURE WATER ON THE FARM
IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE
An Abundant Supply is an Abso-
lute Observation-Disclosures Sys-
tenn That Makes it Readily
Available Adds Greatly to the
Comfort of the Farm Household


farms water supply and the disposal
OF its sewage. The prospective build
er should make certain that these two
problems are solved before he does
anything else. for they lie at the foun-
dation OF the entire households health
and comfort
Purity aud abundance are the two
essentials of water supply. Ordinar-
ily' il has been calculated. each person
ON farm will require 80 gallons a
day. each horse from 10 to l3. each
COW from 10 to IA. each hog from To
j. and each sheep l gallon. II greater
quantities are available, so much the
better
Wells and springs are the usual
sources of farm water. Both may
easily be contaminated. and the vicln-
ity should. therefore. be inspected for
possible sources of pollution. In some
cases typhoid epidemics have been
traced TO springs which have become
polluted through assures in the rock
|
well water through uncemented Joints
in the masonry. and for this reason II
| Is always well to cement the Joints
for considerable distance from the
top. Surface contamination can he
guarded against by the erection of a
suitable concrete curb
once an abundance OF pure water
has been secured there is no single
Improvement which will add so much
| to the comfort of the household as
| some mechanical system OF making II
readily available. Where the supply
is obtained at an elevation above the
house the matter is comparatively
simple. A tank or reservoir can he
built and pipes run down from IT,
through which the water will flow by
gravity and from which IL can be
drawn at will. In the majority OF
| cases. however. before the force OF
| gravity can he utilized Il will be nee
| essary TO pump the water into an ele-
waited tank. Unless this is in the
house itself IL is likely to freeze dur
ing severe weather and cause trouble
or the various methods of elevating
water the windmill is perhaps the
| most satisfactory in the majority of
cases. It's first cost may seem rather
high. but after it is once erected II
costs little to operate and maintain
On the other hand, a large storage
tank is necessity as a precaution
against long periods of calm weather
when no wind blows and the mill
stands idle. Water stored i'm this way
becomes warm i'm summer and I'm
winter is often too cold to give to
stock
The storage difficulty does not exist
when the gasoline engine is used. but
the engine has its own drawbacks.
Although IT does not cost as much to
install as a windmill. it's operating
cost is considerably greater, deprecla-
tion is more rapid, and expensive re-
pairs are required more frequently.
a l u to horse power engine. how
ever. such as is generally used for
pumping water. may be used advan-
tageously for many other purposes on
the farm as well. Air-cooled engines
are recommended when the pumping
is intermittent. for they will not freeze
in winter. When steady. uninter-
| rupted work is expected and there is.
therefore, no danger Of freezing. wa
ter-cooled engines are to be prefer
red.
The pressure OF pneumatic tank has
the great advantage OF enabling mod
ern bathrooms with good water pres
sure to be located i'm any part Of the
premises. The tank also can he pIac-
cd in the cellar and thus protected
from danger Of freezing. Under this
system, water is pumped in against
| air pressure Of from 40 TO so pounds
a square inch. The chief objection IS
the initial cost, which is always high
Under favorable conditions a ram
Is an economical and convenient
means OF elevating water. The ram.
however, is not what i'm mechanical
language Is known as efficient" and
in consequence. there must be n large
surplus Of water before 70 is FEAST
bic device. Under this system the
| necessary power Is derived from the
downward flow Of the water itself
which Is so controlled that II enables
the ram to elevate a certain portion
Of II into a storage tank. Much is
wasted In the operation. however.
Under ceHain circumstances this may
be partially remcdicd by having the
power furnished by the flow Of other
water
on the ordinary farm. unless the
sewage Is disposed Of properly. there
Is danger that the water supply may
be polluted Where privies arc in
use they should be located so that no
drainage from them can reach the
source Of water supply. but they
should also be readily accessible. The
ultimate disposal Of the sewage may
he accomplished I'm several ways.
a common but dangerous practice is
to discharge Il into a convenient
stream. This may easily start a ty-
phoid epidemic farther down the
stream and should not be encouraged
Surface irrigation over the land Is
better. but here again care must be
taken to prevent the infection OF arti.
icles Of food. such as lettuce, which