The Elbert County tribune., 1920-01-09

Tor having drunk It's disense-lnden output In
gestigations made by the United States depart
ment of agriculture ndicute that only a snal,
minority of farin-water supplies can he classe,l
as unqunifedly safe and desirable. On the aver
age three ont of four nrm wells are located with
In 10 feet OF buck door of the house and in
the direction of the barnyard.
That convenience and first cost moi safety
have been the deciding factors in such cases is
made evident by the nearness OF barnyards mig
pens pastures. fertilized fields. sink drains priv
les. cesspoois. and areas rendered insanltnrv bv
chickens. Stops. and oiLer filth Too frequently
the aeepage from these and other sources after
Joining the ground water. moves to wells and
springs. impairng the wafer supply by lmpurity.
and nay be grossly poisonous
Sewage Disposal
T'''u,ar indifference to the effective disposal
of sewage has existed long and so universally
a., Ill, within comparatively recent years has
IL been realized that this waste product of hui
Iifc Is poisonous and must be kept from the
food ind drink of man. From the specific germs
er poison that may be carried In sewage at any
time there may result typhoid fever, tuberculo-
sIs. hookworm dlsense, cholera, dysentery dar-
chen. or other ailments. and 1T is not improbable
that certain obscure maladles mny be traced
0aiy to the poisonous effects of drainage from hui
man waste. The poison Is invisible to the naked
eye. and II may be carried by many agencies, by
devious routes, and be unsuspectngly received
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 nui-
snnce but not to dispose of sewage cleanly and
completely invites disease. 1t is not enough tha;
human filth is taken 80. 75, 100, $50 feet
away from well spring. or that i, is
taken merely to lower ground. Given loose or
open subsoil. seamy ledge. or ong-contlnued polIu-
t1on Of one plat of ground. the zone of contamna-
fion is likely to extend and readily may reach
quite distant wells. especially mt such times
we'll waters lowered by drought or heavy
pumping. Whatever the system of sewage dis
posnl. II should be entirely and widely sepa-
rated from the water supply. and, II possible.
the surface of the sewage in any leaky prvy,
~ault or cesspool should be lower than the low
est water In any nearby well. The United
Stntes department of agriculture has prepared
bulletin No. 712. from its 1916 Yearbook enti-
tied Sewage Disposal the Farm" which gives
details regarding various types of outhouses, sug-
gestions regarding plumbing. cesspoos. 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 Amer
can farms is pure water supply. From the
standpoint OF the housewife. second only In I'M
portance to purity. is the installation of water
system In the farm house that will save labor
Continued pumping will not Improve water in
a well II the sources which feed 1t permanent
~ ut fnult. Wells cannot be located In all cases
to be wholly free from pollution but the grcnt-
est safeguards are clean ground and wide sep
arations as possible from the probable channels
of impure drainage.
Water for domestic should be clean. lus-
trous. ocorless, colorless. 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 dlsease-
producing germs.
Ground water is the ideal supply for the
farm Any farmer who is about have n deep
we'll and who is uncertain of the depth and quan-
ffty or quality of the water likely to he encoun-
tered should describe fully the location and con
dillon OF his project TO national or state geologl-
-, authorities and ask for advice. The os
the willow. hazel. peach stick for locating un-