Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-09-07
Water on the Farm.
PURE AND ABUNDANT SUPPLY A PRIME
NECESSITY.

No questions are of greater i'm portance
to the farm family than the farms water
supply and the disposal of its sewage.
The prospective builder should make
certain that these problems are solved
before be does anything else, for they lie
at the foundation of the entire house.
holds health and comfort.
| Purity and abundance are the two es-
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 3, and each sheep /
gallon. If greater quantities are obtain
able, so much the better.
Wells and springs are the usual sources
of farm water. Both may easily be con-
tsminated, and the vicinity should, there
fore, be inspected for possible sources of
pollution. In some cases typhoid cpl
denies have been traced to springs which
which have become polluted through fs-
sures in the rock strata. Contamination
may also reach well water through un-
cemented joints in the masonry, and for
this reason it is always we'll to cement
the Joints for a considerable distance
from the top. Surface contamination
can be guarded against by the erection
of suitable concrete curb.
/ Once an abundance of pure water has
been secured there is no single improve
ment which will add so much to the
comfort of the household as some me-
chanical system of making it readily
available. Where the supply is obtained
at an elevation above the house the mat
ter is comparatively simple. A tank or
reservoir can be built and pipes run
down from it, through which the water
will flow by gravity and from which it
can be drawn-st will. In the majority
of cases, however, before the force Of
gravity can be utilized it will be neces-
sary to pump the water into an elevated
tank. Unless this is in the house itself
il is likely to freeze during severe
weather and cause trouble.
OF the various methods of elevating
water the windmill is perhaps the most
satisfactory in the majority of cases. Its
first cost may seem rather high, but after
il is once erected it costs little to operate
and maintain. On the other hand, a
large storage tank is a necessity as pre-
caution against long periods of calm
weather when no wind blows and the
mill stands idle. Water stored in this
way becomes warm in summer and in
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 draw wbacks. AL
though it does not cost as much to install
as windmill, its operating cost is con-
siderably greater, depreciation is more
rapid, and expensive repairs are required
more frequently. A 12 to horse
power engine, however, such as is gen.
orally used for pumping water, may be
used advantageously for many other pur-
poses on the farm as well. Air-cooled
engines are recommended when the
pumping is intermittent, for they will
not freeze in winter. When steady, un-
interrupted work is expected, and there
is, therefore, no danger of freezing,
water. cooled engines are to be preferred.
The pressure or pneumatic tank has
the great advantage of enabling modern
bathrooms with good water pressure to
be located in any part of the premises.
The tank also can be placed in the cellar
and thus protected from danger of freez-
ing. Under this system, water is pumped
in against air pressure of from 40 to 90
pounds square inch. The chief objec-
ton is the initial cost, which is always
high.
Under favorable circumstances ram is
an economical and convenient means of
elevating water. The ram, however, is
not what in mechanical language is
known as efficient" and, in conse-
quence, there must be a large surplus of
water before it is feasible device. I'm
der this system the necessary power is
derived from the downward flow of the
water itself, which is so controlled that
it enables the ram to elevate certain
portion of it into storage tank. Much
is wasted in the operation. however.
Under certain circumstances this may
be partially remedied by having the
power furnished by the flow Of other
water.
On the ordinary farm, unless the sew
age is disposed of properly, there is
danger that the water supply may be
polluted. Where privies are 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 be accomplished in several
ways.
A common but dangerous practice is
to discharge it into convenient stream.
This may easily start a typhoid 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 articles of food such as lettuce which
are eaten raw. More satisfactory results
are usually obtained from cesspOols, and
the bleaching cesspool," in which the
sewage percolates gradually through
porous material, has often proved sue
cessful. Such a cesspool may, however,
be extremely dangerous if located in the
path of ground water flowing toward the
we'll. Septic tanks also have a number
of important advantages, but it is usual
| ly desirable to use filters in connection
L.