Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-01-17

dregs of sorrow and suffering
for having drunk it's disease-laden output. In
vestigatiOns made by the United States depart
ment of agriculture indicate that only a small
minority Of farm-water supplies can be classed
as unqualifedy safe and desirable. On the aver
age three out of four farm wells located with
In IS feet of a back door of the house and in
the direction of the barnyard.
That convenience and first cost not safety.
have been the deciding factors in such cases is
made evident by the nearness OF barnyards, pig
pens, pastures, fertiiZed fields, sink drains priv
les, cesspoOls, and areas rendered nsanitarv by
| chickens, sOps and other filth. Too frequently
the seepage from these and other sources, after
Joining the ground water, moves to wells and
springs impairing the water supply by impurity
and may be grossly poisonous.
Sewage Disposal.
| Popular Indifference to the effective disposal
Of sewage has existed so long and so universally
/ that Uny within comparatively recent years has
it been realized that this waste product of hui
man life is poisonous and must be kept from the
| food and drink of man. From the specific germs
or poison that may be carried in sewage at any
time there may result typhoid fever, tuberculO-
sis, hOokwOrm disease cholera, dysentery, dar-
rhea, other ailments, and it is not improbable
that certain obscure maadies may be traced event
ually to the poisonous effects of drainage from hui
man waste. The poison is invisible to the naked
eye, and it may be carried by many agencies, by
devious routes, and be unsuspectingy received
into the human body. Typhoid fever is peculiarly
a rural disease. and many instances clearly ndi-
cate serious neglect of responsibility with regard
to sanitation by people who live in the country.
Not to dispose of sewage promptly invites nui-
sance but not to dispose of sewage Clearly and
completely invites disease. It is not enough that
human filth is taken So IS, 100 or $50 feet
away from a well or spring. or that II Is
taken merely to lower ground. Given loose or
open subsOil, seamy ledge or long-cOntinued pollu
ton Of one plat of ground, the zone of contHmina-
ton is likely to extend and readily may reach
quite distant wells especially at such times ps
well waters are lowered by drought or heavy
pumping Whatever the system of sewage dis
posal it should be entirely and widely sepa-
rated from the water supply. and, If possible,
| the surface of the sewage in any leaky privy,
vault or cesspooI should be lower than the low
est water in any nearby well. The United
States department of agriculture has prepared
bulletin No. 712, from it's 1915 Yearbook enti-
tied Sewage Disposal on the Farm" which gives
details regarding various types of Outhouses sug-
gestions regarding plumbing cesspOols, septic
tanks, and related subjects This pamphlet will
be mailed free on request.
Pure Water the Need.
One Of the first and obvious needs of Ameri-
can farms is pure water supply. From the
standpoint of the housewife. second only in Inn
portance to purity. is the installation of a water
system in the farm house that will save labor.
Continued pumping will not improve water in
a well If the sources which feed it are permanent
ly at fault Wells cannot be located in all cases
to be wholly free from pollution but the grrnt
est safeguards are clean ground and as wide sep
arations as possible from the probable chanDel;
of impure drainage
? Water for domestic should be clean. us
irous oGOrless. colOress, wholesome soft. neither
strongly acid alkaline, and its temperature
for general farm purposes should be about so de
grees. These characteristics, however, are never
+ proof of purity. for glass of water may pos
sess them all and yet contain millions of disease
S producing germs.
e Ground water is the ideal supply for tn
U farm Any farmer who is about to have a deel
: WELL and who is uncertain of the depth and guam
tity or quality Of the water likely to be encoUn
tered should describe fully the location and con
ation Of his project to national or state geolog
al authorities and ask for advice The use o
he willow, hazel OF peach stick for locating IN