No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 289 



in China, where no one ever drinks water that has not been boiled. 

 They know not why they do it, but throughout the greatest empire 

 in the world, China, people always boil the water before using it. 

 If there is any doubt about the water supply, a drilled well should 

 be put down, away from all sources of contamination, and cased 

 in, so that no surface water can enter. Even then, especially in a 

 limestone region, contamination may travel for a long distance un- 

 derground. 



It might be supposed that a farmer would not need to be ad- 

 monished to take plenty of fresh air. This is the day of fresh 

 air cures. It may be over-done, but one thing is sure, fresh air 

 is a great healer and purifier. Large quantities of worn out tissue 

 are thrown off from the lungs and skin of every person. By living 

 in tightly closed rooms where the air is surcharged with these bac- 

 teria, the body is greatly enfeebled. Especially is this true in sleep- 

 ing rooms. We spend about one-third of our lives in bed, and there- 

 fore should be most careful what kind of air we breathe. The body 

 is relaxed, and cannot so easily throw off the poison during sleep 

 as when awake. Many people think cold air is not pure air, and so 

 close the windows tightly in winter to keep out the cold, not realiz- 

 ing that it is easier for the body to keep warm in a cold, pure at- 

 mosphere, where there is plenty of oxygen, than in a warm but 

 foul atmosphere from which the oxygen has been consumed. Dur- 

 ing the Crimean war it was found that a much larger per cent, of 

 the wounded who were treated in tents recovered than of those who 

 were treated in the hospital. The former could not be made tight 

 enough to keep out the fresh air, while the latter admitted the air 

 less freely. Too much attention cannot be given to the bed-room, 

 which, if not properly cared for, becomes a source of danger. 



The cellar is another good breeding place. The germs flourish 

 in the damp, dark atmosphere. Rotting cabbages, turnips, potatoes, 

 etc., are a fruitful source of contamination. Air, sunshine and 

 whitewash, will sweeten the cellar. 



Spare bed-rooms and parlors are sometimes kept closed so long, 

 for fear of fading the carpets, that the paper moulds on the wall, 

 and a musty odor pervades them, which it often takes weeks to 

 remove. Sunshine and dryness will kill the germs, and make the 

 room fit to live in. Trees should not be planted so near the house 

 as to keep out the air and sunshine. Sunshine may be hard on 

 the carpets, but it is better to fade the carpets than the children. 



The one operation on the farm where sanitary measures are 

 most essentia], is in the handling of the milk. Milk is one of the 

 best media in which to grow bacteria. It contains the right ele- 

 ments for their rapid development. It is drawn warm, and unless 

 there are special precautions taken, bacteria by the million get 

 into the milk before it leaves the cow barn. When drawn, it may 

 be almost sterile, but every hair, particle of dust, piece of cuticle 

 from the cow's udder, and dirt of various kinds, carries thousands 

 of germs. These, in the new surroundings, begin at once to multi- 

 ply, and by the time the milk reaches the city, it may have millions, 

 sometimes hundreds of millions of bacteria to the cubic inch. Is 

 it any wonder the milk sours in a few hours after it reaches the 

 customer? Go into the country barn, and see how well seeded the 

 19—7—1908. 



