WATER SUPPLY FOR THE FARM. 535 



water, that in time of drouth it may not be as liable to fail; besides, much trouble and 

 expense is attended with deepening a well that has once been completed. Farmers some 

 times have a well for stock purposes, located in or very near a barn-yard. In such cases 

 great care should be taken that no drainage from the yard entered it. All water from the 

 yard should be conducted in another direction, the earth about the well be made higher than 

 other portions of the yard, and every precaution possible used to keep the water pure, since 

 cattle cannot thrive without pure water, and the milk of cows ihat drink water contaminated 

 with the drainage of the yard cannot be healthful or palatable. 



The danger of this drainage is lessened when the sub-soil is of a clayey nature, being in 

 a measure impervious to water; but when the sub-soil is of a gravelly or sandy character, 

 there would be danger of its leaching through the soil into the well, even with all necessary 

 precautions observed on the surface. Absorbents to take up the liquid manure will obviate 

 the evil in a measure, when a sufficient quantity is used for that purpose. The digging of a 

 well is, of course, attended with considerable labor and expense; but, when once properly dug, 

 it becomes a permanent source of water supply, and the convenience of having such a source 

 to depend upon in all seasons well repays, even in one year, all that is expended in obtain 

 ing it. 



Driven, or Tube Wells, sometimes called American wells, are an ingenious and 

 easy method of obtaining water. They are made by driving a small iron tube, which has a 

 perforated hollow conical point of steel, into the ground until it strikes a subterranean spring. 

 By applying a hand-pump to the orifice, a supply of water is generally obtained sufficient for 

 all practical purposes, and often obviates the necessity of common wells, the digging of which 

 is attended with more labor and expense. In some localities these wells are a perfect suc 

 cess, and, when they prove so, are one of the cheapest means of water supply. They are not, 

 however, as permanent and durable as wells that are dug in the usual way, since the iron 

 tube will, in time, rust out; but they will last many years, and when they prove a success, 

 will well repay the slight expense incurred in making. As they sometimes prove a failure, it 

 is well for the farmer to always have a good supply of water guaranteed by the agent before 

 arranging the terms, that the risk may not be his own. No one should pay for such a well 

 unless it supplies water, and as agents are always desirous of custom, they will generally 

 take the risk themselves. 



In many of the hilly and mountainous portions of Europe, water for irrigating the land 

 and supplying the domestic animals, as well as for household purposes, is obtained by driving 

 a tube horizontally into the side of a hill or mountain until it reaches some spring, which 

 furnishes a constant flow. The water from such springs is generally very cold, and of good 

 quality. 



Artesian Wells. The use of artesian wells is becoming quite common in some 

 portions of the country, both for irrigation and other uses, and especially in some of the arid 

 regions of the &quot;West, where both surface and spring water is frequently not only very scarce, 

 but is so impregnated with certain mineral substances as to render it unfit for drinking pur 

 poses. In California, artesian wells are used quite extensively for irrigating the lands, but 

 are comparatively rare in many sections of the United States. They are, however, quite 

 common in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, and Mississippi, some of them 

 throwing up oil, some mineral water, and others pure water. The numerous oil wells of 

 Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and vicinity are principally remarkable for the large 

 supply of petroleum which they furnish. 



Among the deepest artesian wells in this country are two in St. Louis, Mo. The first 

 was bored to the depth of 2199 feet, and discharged 75 gallons of water per minute. The 

 second was sunk to the depth of 3843.5 feet, the last 40 feet being in solid granite. The 



