TTOMF AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
TH E FARM W A T E R SU P P L Y
By T. D. Beckwith, Bacteriologist, Oregon A gricultural College.
MONG th e facto rs which keep ns
healthy, or which, if not carefully
guarded, may cause sickness, n o th
ing is of g re a te r im portance th an the
fam ily w ater supply. This is especially
tru e on farm s, for it is generally found
th a t m unicipal w ater supplies are purer
th a n individual wells, due to care in
•o n stn irtio n and to w atchfulness in
g n a 'd in g them. O ur bodies are over
•n e-h alf r a t e r , and it is of the most
v ita l im portance th a t th is w ater which
m ust bo co n tin u ally replenished be
pure. If, in th e course of events, it
becomes contam inated w ith disease
germ s, thon one who d rin k s such w ater
■ ay co n tract the disease caused by the
p a rtic u la r kind of diseaso germ which
is in the w ater.
A
I t should be understood th a t w ater is
■ever im puro insofar as bacterial or
germ co n ten t is concerned, unless there
is some source of contam ination to
produco stc h results. Almost all d is
eases are produced by certain kinds of
germ s and these germ s never g enerate
spontaneously. When w ater is im pure
th erefo re it is an indication th a t there
is some outside source from which the
im p u rity is b eing derived.
C lassification o f Wells.
W ells may be divided into tw o classes,
nam ely deep wells and shallow wells.
This d ifferen ce does not depend so much
•n the fa c t th a t the bore is of such
fe p th from th e top to th e bottom , b u t
ra th e r by “ deep w e ll” is m eant one
which paasea through some im pervious
stratu m or la y e r of soil or rock and tap s
• su b terran ean w ater supply. Such w a
t t ' has been bro u g h t for a considerable
distance u n d er ground. Since such soil
form ation does not allow d irect pereola
tion from tho surface th e w ater which
is obtain ed from such a well has slowly
passed through th e soil fo r miles in
m any instances. By “ shallow w e ll” is
m eant one which is sunk merely a very
little belo- tho level of surface w ater,
know n more tcchinc.dly as the “ neater
ta b le ,” and into th is bole so constructed
w a te r from th e near vicin ity is allowed
to seep. W ater found in sueh a well,
th erefore, has come from the im m ediate
neighborhood and alm ost alw ays from
w ith in a radius merely o f a few feet.
I t tlins follows th a t w ater which is
found in deep wells will be quite thor
oughly filtered from any b acterial con
lam in atio n which may have been in it.
W ater from snallow wells, since it has
been filtered hrough com paratively a
few feet ra th e r th an miles of soil, may
be highly co n tam in at d.
Because of
th e fact th a t deep w.,11 w ater has per
col a ted through much soil it will have
had more o p p o rtu n ity to dissolve out
eertain soluble m inerals, and, therefore,
ia likely to oe h ard er th an w ater de
n v e d from shallow wells. In consider
•tio n of the above facts, i f a deep well
bo properly cased so th a t seepage can
not gain en tran ce through the sides by
m eans of a leak y jo in t or a ru sty hole,
w ater from such deep wells may be
•x p eeted to be disease free.
Dangerous Shallow Wells.
Much d iffic u lty Is found w ith the
so called shallow wells. These many
ti n e s are merely holes dug in the ground
in to which seepage of all kinds finds
Its w ay f r m th e adji.cent soil. In a
large [«erc'ntage o f cases no a ttem p t is
m ade in construction to keep seepage
w ater outside of the well eith er bv use
• f an iron pipe, by concrete eonstruction
•r brick wall set in m ortar. Many farm
era believe th a t vhe only way they can
• b ta in a s u f'ie ie n t w ater supply by
•ain g th e shallow well is to allow w ater
o p p o rtu n ity to en ter through the sides
by seepage
I t should be understood th a t w ater in
T h e P r o g r e s s iv e
B u s in e s s C o l l e g e
Broadway Ruildinf, Portland, Oregon.
r W U X C I KIDINQS. P r s s 'l
KDIROH D ICTATING k'ACHINB.
COLUM BIA D ICTArHOHK,
shorthand ,
ROOK KKK PINO. TY PFW R IT IN O ,
OOMPTOORAPH, and «11
MODKRN B V S IN B S S C O UR8FS,
Bate* »3 00 per Month to tk«M entering
■Wore September l , 1(1«.
a shallow well will be pure only when
it has been filte re d through considerable
soil. C ontam ination generally fin d s its
way into the w ater which is ju s t below
th e surface of th e ground, and th e soil
ixrlow th is level rem oves such contain
¡nation. I t follows th erefo re th a t the
logical point o f en tran ce fo r w ater into
the well ic a t he bottom and th a t in
digging and co n stru ctin g such a well this
point should be borne in mind. In order
th a t the w ater shall not be roily as it
comes into th o well a t tho bottom one
should place a few inches of coarse
sand or fine clean g rav el a t th e bottom
of the hole. From th e above discussion
it will also b e recognized th a t in order
to keep out seepage from th e sides of
the well the well m ust be thoroughly
and tig h tly w alled up by some method.
As one stan d s by the side o f an old
well on a hot sum mer day and listens
to the continual dripping of th e w ater
as it trick les down th e sides of the
well from th e surrounding soil it may
rem ind one o f a clear and purlin g
spring. B ut under no conditions should
one allow th e poetry o f th e feeling to
overcome him. I t is very lik ely th a t
such trick lin g is produced b y th e w a
te r seeping in from some near-by toilet,
septic tan k or k itch en sink.
Curbing Around Well.
In order th a t in case of h eavy rains
or possible flood the w ater may not flush
over the sides o f th e well hole and wash
down into th e bore it is also im p o rtan t
th a t a cu rb in g w ith em b an k m en t be
placed around to d iv ert such w ater and
also to p rev en t th e d irect re tu rn o f w a
te r pumped o u t from the well, and
which in m any cases is allow ed to run
o ff from th e p latfo rm into th e soil a
few inches from th e well and which
from thence seeps directly back into the
well hole. The retu rn o f such w ater to
t'.ie well is ju s t as dangerous as th e r e
tu rn of any o th er su rface w a te r to en
te r the well.
I t is im p o rtan t also to rem em ber th a t
a tig h t cover m ust be placed over the
well. I t is b e tte r also if th is cover is
made of tw o courses of boarding, one
lay er placed a t angles w ith th e o th er in
order th a n when w ear occurs and cracks
form, th e holes, which will even tu ally
be produced, m ay not allow solid m a tte r
or o th er k in d s o f contam ination to fall
d irectly thro u g h them in to th e w ater
below. 8uch a cover also w ill keep
frogs out and m any k inds of insect!
which deposit th e ir eggs in th e w ater
or on tho sides of th e well, and the
larv ae of w hich pass through tho first
stage o f th e ir life in w ater. I t is u n
p leasan t to pum p up tadpoles, earth
worms, and insect larv ae of various
kinds in th e w ater. I t m ust be rem em
bered, too, th a t where th e op o rtn n ity
is given fo r such com paratively large
a -im a ls to fin d th e ir w ay into th e w a
te r it is a very simple m a tte r fo r plants
as sm all as germ s to fin d th e ir way-
al so.
The w ater from th e well should be
clear and no t too sparkling, and unless
it is in a lo calitv w here su lfu r com
pounds aro n a tu ra lly found in the soil,
one ahonld alw avs view w ith suspicion
th e so-called “ su lfu r w ater.
I t is
w orth re m e m b e r'ig th a t as organic m a t
te r decomposes in m anv in stan ces it
gives o ff th e sam e gas th a t is in d ic a t
ive of ro tten eggs and th a t is th erefo re
called “ ro tte n egg g a s .”
S u lfu r in
th is form is an indication of eentnm ina
tion and v ery m anv »if one so called
‘ su lfu r w ater w ella”
pools of filth
as shown b y lab o rato ry exam ination.
Also as organic m a tte r undergoes b a c
terial decom position it gives o ff a gas
called carbon dioxide. T his is the same
gas th a t ia used nnder pressure to give
th e spark le and fir.r. to soda w ater, and
while a sm all am ount is norm ally pres
en t in all w ater if th ere b e su fficien t
to produce sparkling, then th ere is a
p o ssib ility th a t the sparkle is caused
b v ro ttin g organic m a tte r which in turn
indicates contam inated w ater. A clear
a te r is no t a pure w ater under ail
conditions b y any means.
C ontam inated W ater.
As before sta te d w ater will not be
contam inated w ith disease germ s unless
there be disease germs in th e im m ediate
viein itv , w hich in turn may eontam in
a te such w ater. T herefore it n atu rally
follows th a t net all w ater fonnd in bad
lv eonstrneted wells is een tam in ated
kwith disease germs. The danger, hew
ever, in the use of such w ater, lies in
th e fa c t th a t it is im possible fo r any
hum an being to tell how soon contam in
ation may find its w ay to th e near
v icin ity of such wells, and in tu rn find
it« w ay into the w ater. I t is only an
o rd in ary m easure of safety, so to eon
stru c t the well th a t tho chances of con
tam in atio n may be as few as possible;
then th e w ater will be k ept pure even
though there be some cause for con
tam ination not fa r away. Ou very many-
farm s we find fever of various kinds
appearing annually, and upon careful
exam ination we find th a t it is produced
by d rin k in g w ater. The germ s are
tak en into the body and produce tho
disease. The m aterials from th e body
during such disease pass to the fam ily
to ilet and from thence tho g en u s find
th e ir w ay into the well. T his slow pass
age of the b acte ria from the to ilet or
septic ta n k to well m ay require some
tim es as long as one year so th a t during
th e nex t season the w ater being con
tam in ated carries a recurrence of the
disease. The most im portant American
diseases which may be carried in w ater
are typhoid, dysentery, diarrhoea and
sum m er com plaint. I t is not intended
th a t th e reader shall u n derstand tha*
these diseases are carried by th e w ater
alone, b u t the statem en t is made th a t
ono of the most im portant agcecies
b ringing about such dissem ination is
the fam ily w ater supply.
tha w ater supply in his p a rtic u la r weH
is safe, he may readily have it c r a s h
ined by using a clean bottle of ab o u t
four ounces capacity and a eork, boil-
ing them both carefully for te n or f if
teen m inutes. W ater should be pum ped
from the well until one is certain of not
o b tain in g a sample w hich has been
standing in the pipe. The spout o f the
pump should be clean and the hands of
the one ta k in g the sample should have
been w ashed ju s t previously w ith stro n g
soap suds and w ater. H andle th e b o t
tle ju s t as little as possible before ta k
ing the sample. The sample ta k e n a»
outlined above may be sent to the S ta te
B oard of H ealth a t P ortland, or to the
B acteriology D epartm ent of th e A gri
cu ltu ral College for exam ination. These
te s ts are m ade free fo r citizens o f the
S ta te of Oregon.
TYPICAL A N D E R S O N BUNGALOW
Are you com ing to P ortland! W hy not
buy one of my Bungalow s n o w ! I w ill sell
it to you on easy terms, and rent it for you
for alm ost enough to m eet your paym ents
until you are ready to occupy it.
College Records.
I have four Bungalow s that M UST be sold
The records of the A gricultural Col
lege show th a t the w ater of fu lly one- regardless of cost. My loss, your gain.
W rite me for description and location .
h a lf of the shallow wells in th e s ta te is
contam inated w ith sewago germ s. There
TONY O ANDERSON
fore, it is r.nfit fo r human consum ption.
828 Chamber of Commerce B ldg.
Portland, Oregon.____________
I f one is in doubt as to w hether or not
$60.00 A WEEK AND EXPENSES
YOU.:
YES.YOU
CAN GET IT
T hat's the money you should get th is year. I mean it. I w ant
County S ales Managers quiek, men or women who b elieve in
the square deal, who w ill go into partnership w ith me. N o ex
perience needed. My folding Bath Tub has taken the country
by storm.
Solves the bathing problem.
No plum bing; no
water w orks required. F u ll length bath in any room. F olds m
.m i"
h V n d V » an umbrella* I tell you
« e a t (G R E A T .
R iv a l. ¿100 bath room. Now li.t e u l
I w ant 1O U to handle
»our county
I ’ll furnish dem onstrating tub on liberal plan.
I m n ositive— absolutely certain— you can get bigger m oney in
a w eek w ith me than you ever made tn a month before—
I KNOW 1T1
TWO SA LES A D A Y — »300 A MONTH
That*! w hat yon should get— every month
Needed In every
.
. badtv wanted, eagerly bought. Modern bathing facili-
B e? for a lf the people
T ik e orders right and left
Quick
■ales immense profits. Look at th ese n»«n- S m ith y Ohio, got
**
ifc orders first w eek; M eyers, W ise.. $«.50 p rofit
first m onth; .4cwton, California, $60 in three
davs. You ahould do as well. 2 MALES A DAY
MEANS $300 A MONTH.
The work is very
easy,
nleasant,
permanent,
fascinating.
It
means a bu sin ess of your own.
DEMON
STR A TIN G
TUB
F U R N ISH E D
.
.
» u -
i
a
913 F actories Bldg., Toledo, O
A1O TV
L ittle capital
needed. I grant cre
d it— Help you o u t-\-
Back you up— D on’t doubt—
D o n ’t hesitate— D on 't hold back—
You cannot lose. My other men are
building houaes, bank accounts, so can you.
then quick, SE N D WO MONEV ju st name on
penny post card for free tub offer. H ustle!
B U SH & LA N E POLICY
-FROM-
FACTO RY TO HOME
No one baa ever solved th e problem of g ettin g b e t
ter values th a n you get here.
Wo m ann faetn re onr own Pianos and sell them
direct. T his saves you th e large d e a le r’s profit.
A dealer m ust purchase from the m anufacturer, House of O riginality
and then sell to you, th ereb y charging tw o p ro fits instead of one.
Then, again, when purchasing from a dealer yon have no assurance
th a t he will keep the agency of the P iano he sells you. He may change
over night.
As m anufacturers w ith a rep u tatio n to m ain tain and no one on whom
to throw the blam e in case of d issatisfaction, you are assured of the
best P iano values obtainable.
I f you determ ine on a certain policy and have the a b ility to p u t i t in
execution, and stick to it long enough, the public will place reliance in
your w ork. Thus it is w ith th e Bush & Dane P iano Co. P roof of p iano
making, skill and constant adherence to an artistic ideal, have given the
public absolute confidence in the m akers of the Bush A Lane Pianos an d
P layer Pianos.
A fa ir value fo r your old Piano or O rgan in exchange.
S atisfactio n or Money Refunded.
Bush & Lane Piano
433 5 WASHINGTON STREET
Portland, Oregon.
mA.YUI A V A U niiûû
MANUFACTURERS
WHOLESALERS
RETAILERS
'
House of Originality
J