The Red Cloud chief., 1920-01-22

dregs of sorrow and suffering
for having drunk its disenseaden output. In
vestigatiOns made by the United States depart.
nent of agriculture indicate TINT only small,
minority of farin-water supplies can be classed
AS UnGuuliicdy safe and desirable. On the aver.
age three out of four farm wells are located with
In 70 feet of 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 fortified fields, sink drains. priv
les. cesspOOls. and areas rendered insanitary by
chickens slOps and other filth. Too frequently
the seepage from these and other sources after
Joining the ground water. moves to wells and
springs imparing the water supply by impurlty,
and may he grossly poisonous.
Sewage Disposal.
"orular Indifference to the effective disposal
Of sewage has existed so long and universally
lhai On! Niihin comparatively recent years has
il been realized that this waste product OF hui
man life IL poisonous and must he kept from the
food and drink Of man. From the specific germs
or poison that may be carried In sewage at any
time there mny result typhoid fever, tuberculo-
sis, hookworm disease cholera, dysentery, diar-
rhea, or other ailments, and II IL not improbable
TINT certain obscure maadies may be traced event
uaIly to the poisonous effects of drainage from hui
waste The poison Is Invisible to the naked
and /, may be carried by many agencies, by
into the human body. Typhoid fever Is peculiarly
a rural disease, and many Instances clearly indi-
cate serious neglect Of responsibility with regard
to sanitation by people who live in the country.
Not to dispose Of sewage promptly invites nul-
sance but not to dispose &c sewage cleanly and
completely invites disease. 1t Is not enough that
human filth IL taken So rs, 100, or $50 feet
away from well spring, that II Is
taken merely to lower ground Given loose
open subsoil. seamy ledge. or lons-contnued pou.
ton Of one plat Of ground, {he zone Of contamlna-
tiOn IN likely to extend and readily may reach
quite distant wells especially Mt such times ~
well wniers are lowered by drought heavy
pumping Whatever the system of sewage dis
posal 1t should be entirely and widely sepa
rated from the water supply, and, II possible
the surface of the sewage in any leaky prlvy.
vault ccsspool should he lower than the low
cst water In any nearly well. The United
Stntes department of agriculture has prepared
bulletin No. 7l2, from Its 1916 Yearbook. ent-
tied Sewage Disposal on tie Farm" which gives
details regarding various types OF OuthOuscs, sug-
gcstions regarding plumbing. cesspoos, septic
tanks. and related subjects. This pamphlet VIII
be mailed free request
Pure Water the Need.
One Of the first and obvious needs of Amcr
can farms is pure water supply. From the
standpoint of the housewife, second only in I'M
por,nnce to purity Is the installation of u water
system In the farm house that will save labor.
continued pumping Wti not Improve wafer IN
well IL the sources which feed 1t are permanent
ly ut fault. Wells cnnnot be located In all cases
to be wholly free from pollution. but the grcnt-
est safeguards are clean ground. and wide sep
aratons possible from the probable channels
Of impure drainage.
Water for domestic should be clean lus-
rous ocOrless, colorless wholesome, soft, neither
strongly acid nor alkaline, and its temperature
for general farm purposes should be about 30 de-
grees. These characteristics, however, are never
proof OF purity. for u glass of water may pos
sess them oil and yet contain millions of disease
producing germs.
Ground water is the ideal supply for the
farm Any farmer who In about to have deep
well, AMI 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-
ditIon of his project to national or state geologI.
cal authorities and ask for advice The use o.
che willoss hazel. peach stick for Locating un'