TRANSACTIONS OF GALESBURG HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 229 



pleasant to the taste. I soon learned, however, that a smiling countenance 

 in water was no more a test of its goodness than it was of the goodness of 

 heart of some people whom one meets with in the world. Nay; I even 

 found that the purest-looking water was often, on trial, found to contain 

 the largest amount of impurity. 



To make a quantitative analysis of water I had neither time nor 

 opportunity. I therefore contented myself witli a qualitative analysis ; 

 and even this I have done but im])erfectly. I got hold of Dr. Danchell's 

 tests, which are accepted by physicians in England as ready means by 

 which to detect impurities in water, and by means of these I have exam- 

 ined the water of about thirty wells in various parts of the city, and will 

 now give you the result : 



I. THE NEGATIVE RESULT. 



I found no trace of iron or lead or magnesia, and what is very grati- 

 fying, none of any organic, that is to say, vegetable or animal impurity, 

 excepting, it may be, in one case, and that manifestly arose from the well 

 being open to offensive surface drainage. A trace of ammonia I found onl)- 

 in three instances, and with these few exceptions may say that our wells 

 are free from this substance. 



IT. THE I'OSniVF. RESULTS. 



1. Bicarbonate of lime I found in small quantities in some cases, but 

 it is not a feature of our well-water. 



2. Lime phosphate was present in almost all the wells, and in some 

 of them in considerable quantities ; more especially was it found in old 

 wells, and in those near stables and sources of impurityt I believe it to 

 be contained to some extent in the clay through which the water perco- 

 lates, but I suspect that it affords some slight evidence of the beginning 

 of a process by which our clay beds in or near the old residences of the 

 city are becoming saturated with the impurities of our cess-pools. I do 

 not positively state this, as I am in doubt about it, only I suspect the 

 excess of phosphates in some of the wells to be due to this cause. 



3. There seems to be traces of sulphuric acid in some of the wells, 

 but of this I will not speak positively. I think I detect it, and it is not 

 by any means unlikely. 



4. Lime sulphate abounds in many of our wells. The aniount varies. 

 In some I discover only a trace, in others a considerable quantity. This 

 makes the water hard and unsuitable for washing purposes. 



5. Calcium chloride is also found abundantly in very many of our 

 wells. Li some it is in excess. More or less of it seems to be present in 

 all. It is quite remarkable how much chlorine seems to be contained 

 in the water of some of the wells of our city that are regarded as the 

 best. 



These are the results of my inquiries, and they show us that we have 

 an impure water, and that it is largely calcareous, with considerable quan- 

 tities of chlorine, sulphur and phosphorus. I do not say that these are by 

 any means poisons, or in themselves hurtful to health. What effects may 



